Alexandra Bartlett: The Prodigal daughter
by Meagana
Summary: Jed and Abbey's youngest daughter Alexandra is returned to them during their first year in the white house after 12 years of being kidnapped and though she wasn't abused in anyway and treated very well, she bares severe emotional scars from the kidnapping and how she was treated.
1. Chapter 1

It appeared in every newspaper in the country, the three year old daughter Alexandra of Senator Josiah Bartlett of New Hampshire was kidnapped from Manchester, during Halloween Trick or Treating activities when her older sister Elizabeth Westin who was also taking her 7 year old sister Zoey, and her own infant year old daughter Annie trick or treating. Elizabeth only turned her head for a minute and Alexandra was gone.

Liz blamed herself of course, losing her youngest sister, Jed blamed himself not being able to protect Allie, of course the woman that took her only wanted a daughter of her own, and didn't care that he was a senator, and her mother a doctor, she had been finger-printed, in Kindergarten and when he became president it was one of those Restricted files. So when 15 year old Lexie Maxwell, of Philadelphia was arrested and fingerprinted at a Sit in Protest at her Private School because of banning books, her finger prints had been flagged and it was kicked up to the FBI field office, which meant she was not going back to her mother Lydia Maxwell. She was as soon as the FBI got the request taken to the FBI headquarters and taken to an FBI briefing room instead of an Interrogation room, she was given free access to food, and Root beer since it was her favorite, and a Gameboy one of the agents happened to have, but her cell phone was taken away. The FBI Agents knew exactly who she was suspected of being, and they didn't want to piss off the president by mistreating his long lost daughter.

Meanwhile it was the middle of the night, and Leo was called by the FBI director, the FBI director never called him in the middle of the night, the FBI director never got called in the middle of the night, this had to be big. He got into the office, and the FBI director was sitting there. He didn't look stressed he look happy.

"We have Alexandra, She's currently at the Philadelphia field office, she was in Philadelphia with a former Intern of Abby's named Dorothy Loren Harris, and she changed her name to Lydia Maxwell. She lost a baby, and left the program, and took Alexandra two months later, The fingerprints match, and other than her getting arrested at a sit-in for banning books at Eleanor Roosevelt School in Philadelphia and she is all advanced placement classes, according to her physicals and lack of suspicious ER visits she is not being abused, I have no new information."

"You woke me up in the middle of the night and that's all you have, Bob?"

"Leo, what do you think the president would do to me, if I didn't wake you up in the middle of the night the second we confirmed his daughter was alive, I may be every bit the ass everyone says I am, but I **_am_** a father…"

"Let's go wake them up." An hour later, Abbey, and Jed were in the Living room in the Private residence. Leo came in.

"The FBI director woke me up, came to me, Alexandra has been found."

Abbey started crying.

"Where is she?"

"She is in the Philadelphia Field office for the FBI, She was picked up in a sit in protesting banned books at Eleanor Roosevelt Private School and her finger prints were kicked to the FBI as a recruited file, and a kidnaped child. She hasn't been told who she is yet, but she know she's was kidnaped as a child."

"Who took her?" Jed asked.

"Abby's former intern Dorothy Loren Harris, she changed her name to Lydia Maxwell, and is now A Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Or was until she was arrested. Alexandra wasn't abused, physically at least, we have no idea how else she was raised."

"When can we go get her?" Jed said.

"Tomorrow first thing, Air force one will be ready, you two, the Deputy White House Counsel…Sam can draft a statement from here….."

"I don't want the press to know yet." Abbey said.

"Abbey, they'll know."

Meanwhile, Lexie slept, she had been suspecting up something was up with her mother for over a year, since Governor Josiah Bartlett starting running for President and she noticed the similarity in appearance to Mrs. Bartlett. She always liked her mother, but there was always something about her that told her not to trust her. And she was never emotionally invested enough to love her adopted mother. Lydia spent thousands on plenty of new age therapies to find out why they never bonded, and all the newest toys to buy her affection but never good old fashioned talk therapy, which most likely would have helped her, but never would have helped her feel what wasn't there. It wasn't if she didn't like Lydia she did a lot, it wasn't if she didn't have great affection for Lydia, and tell her she loved her, she did, but Lydia knew it wasn't the real deal, she knew what was missing even if Lexie didn't. And Lexie had been having Memory flashes since the election started. She knew something wasn't right. She also wasn't the typical looking Political daughter. I mean she was a good 80 pounds overweight, Jet black hair, multiple piercings and a few tats, she had no idea how to play conservative, or political. Harris or Maxwell was upper crust, but she did have money. When she woke up, a Therapist came up, and started talking to her about what was going on, then a social Worker, from Children and family services, she talked with the Therapist for hours. She was actually relieved that Lydia wasn't her mother, she always wondered even though her mother was wonderful to her, did all these amazing things for her, she didn't trust her. Not really. That there was always something about her, that she fundamentally off about her, that inspired this feeling in her stomach that she shouldn't trust her. The therapist asked when she first had that feeling and she couldn't answer that, she said it'd always been there. She never crawled in bed with her if it was storming she comforted herself, she always comforted herself no matter what. If she got her she went to her. As she got older she forgot why she didn't trust her, but she just got that feeling of just not sharing things with her, at an extra early age, which became a rebellion.

It was a short flight to Philadelphia they were checked into the hotel, then they, the White House Deputy Counsel Greg Hallman and their agents went to the Philadelphia field office, they were immediately went to the room where they were keeping drawing she was a gifted artist, a borrowed CD player in her ears listening to Credence Clearwater Revival and belting out the lyrics to Proud Mary and One thing she did agree with Lydia was music. Lydia was a Music lover. She loved all music from Classical to 90s Alternative and all the genres in between and that was a love that she passed onto Lexie.

The President and the first lady was introduced to the agents on her daughter's case. Agent Michaelson and Agent Noonan.

"Well, we know considerably more than we did before the FBI director did last night, Mr. President. She's never been abused, if anything Ms. Harris was overly permissive, she is 80 pounds overweight, her hair is died black, her nails her black, she has multiple piercings."

"Where is she now?"

"In the conference room we'd thought she'd be more comfortable than interrogation, but since the charges have been dropped by the school, you can take her back to the hotel."

"We understand that Agent Noonan, When can we take back to Washington?" Abbey said.

"Tomorrow."

Abbey and Jed were led into the conference room, and they saw the chubby girl, who looked like the poster child for Punk rock rebellion. Toby, CJ, and Josh would have collective heart attacks. She looked up.

"You're my parents." She said.

"Yes." Abbey said.

"I look like you." She said to Abbey. "But I have his eyes."

"Yes, you do." Abbey said.

"Let me shower and change and we can talk." She said.

"You're talking this very well."

"I didn't expect my parents to be you, but I've been suspecting something was wrong since the election started two years ago. Truth is I never trusted her, I never really loved her, I liked her and I cared about her a lot she took care of me, I wanted for nothing, she was there for, and she was a really good friend, but pit of my stomach there was something that made me not trust her completely, I never went into her in the middle of night no matter how bad my nightmare was, I just couldn't…..I'd studied history and Politics so I knew who you were, long before the Election but I never talked about it with Lydia, I never talked with a lot things with Lydia as soon as you started showing up in the news, she started acting like she had DOD. Like she had 14 different personalities and I never knew which one I was going to get. That's when I started I guess rebelling, with the tats, and the piercings, not that she cared, she didn't, she thought it was a great way to express myself. I should get showered. I'll be right back."

She went back to the lockers rooms, and changed into a second set of FBI sweats they'd provided for her. Then came back out to her waiting parents. "Hi, I'm all set."

The Bartlett's went back to the hotel, an female Secret Service agent went to shops to get clothes for Lexie, since most of her clothes and things at Lydia's was evidence. The President was on the phone most of the time. Lexie watched the 11 O'clock briefing.

"At 7pm last night, a Sit-in spear-headed by students protesting 122 classic literature titles recently banned by the administration and another 200 de facto banned books that just don't stock in the library at Eleanor Roosevelt Academy in Philadelphia, came to head when 17 students were arrested when the all-day protest beginning at 8:15 yesterday morning in the school's library reached it peek and the Philadelphia Police Department was called. the 17 students were processed and Booked, when one of the students fingerprints was fingerprinted and her prints added to the system, she was identified as Alexandra Bartlett, the President and Mrs. Bartlett's kidnapped daughter, the FBI took custody, and as the charges were dropped she has been reunited with her parents, Mike…."

"Were the charges dropped because who her father is?"

"The Charges were dropped for all 17 students, Eleanor Roosevelt hasn't changed its policy on, on campus protests since 1967, which is to have the students arrested, booked and processed then the charges dropped, and they consider it a learning experience. Katie….."

"Does the FBI know the Identity of the Kidnapper?"

"The FBI does not comment on ongoing investigations, Danny….."

"When will Ms. Bartlett be home with her family?"

"The President, the first lady and their youngest daughter will be returning to the White House Tomorrow."

She watched the rest of the briefing. She'd watch them before when she had time. Now it occurred to she would know these people.

"Sweetheart, is there anything you particularly need from The House." Her Mother asked.

"Well, My Music collection, and My Book collection a lot of those are first editions, my stuffed dog…it's old, and I've had it forever its black with Brown spots…"

"You still have Spots." Jed said from where he was reading briefings.

"Yeah, I always wondered where I got him….."

"Well you were Dorothy that year." Her Mom said.

"I'm not exactly what the American People want to see when they think of the first family."

"That doesn't matter." Jed said.

"I'm thinking it matters….I have to change the I look which I don't mind I'll take out the piercings, I'm not getting my tats lasered because they're a part of me, I always struggled with my weight, one of the reasons I never tried drugs or alcohol is I always had food, and it's not like Lydia paid for a real accredited therapist where I could talk about my issues, although I did a lot of Yoga, and Meditation…and chanting in a circle at midnight, under the full moon…."

They took her to a Salon and kept the black but changed the hair style, they got rid of all but one of the earrings, and the nose ring, they got all new clothes, and most of her things from the house. Her parents talked to CJ on the phone. They loaded Air force one, and she was given a tour of the plane. She listened to her music and drew. They flew toward the white house with Purpose. She was scared this was her life now. Part of her was scared, and part of her was angry, and part of her was excited and part of her was hungry, the hungry that would never be satisfied, and part of her wanted to self-harm, Alexandra Bartlett was pretty confused and messed up by life and she was pretty honest with herself by that, but she was also, taught by life not to trust adults, part of her knew she could trust these people trust her parents, but part of her wasn't sure.


	2. Welcome to the White House

**Second chapter=Welcome to the White house**

She slept on top of her mother on the plane, she was never this tactile a person. She never needed hugs, and physical comfort, until now. Now she wanted and needed them. She feared this would be all a dream and she wake up, and nothing will have changed she will have gone back to her lonely existence.

They got to the White house and up to the residence, and she was shown her new bedroom, they were going to add bookshelves, but first everything was pink she wrinkled her nose

"You don't like pink." Her Mother said. "Ellie doesn't like it either what would you like instead."

"Literally any other color."

"I'd rather you have what you like?"

"Either grey-blue or dark maroon are colors I would choose for myself, I'm not someone who likes pastels."

"I noticed when we packed up your clothes."

They had boxes, and art supplies, they had her computer, which the FBI did not confiscate, which was good because she was a working on some things, she had art supplies, books, her music collection. The Secret Service did take her computer to look at her, but everything else was being set up.

"What happened to my computer?"

"We're going to get you another computer and a better top of the line computer, and the Secret Service is going to install some software to keep you safe." Her father said. "It should only take a couple days…."

"This is one of those about being first daughter that I'm just going to have to suck up aren't I?" She asked. And there was the pragmatist in her that was there when she was three that she inherited from Jed, and Abbey, only half the time because they were really both dreamers. Ellie was a Pragmatist, though when two half Pragmatist marry, at least one of them will turn into a full pragmatist.

"Yes, they'll be others." Jed said. "There are a lot of wonderful things about being in this family, the fact that we're in the public eye, is not one of them, and the Necessary amount of security measures are two of them."

"I understand, I don't like it, but I understand. Do I have to go to the trial?"

"You most likely have to testify, so yes, but if you don't want to be there for most of it, we can make arrangements." Her Mother said.

"What about School it's a Month until school lets out?"

"We talked to your Head master, he said you can do the rest of school from here, and send we the assignments and you can sent them back, and then you can transfer schools in the fall. He was very understanding at the situation."

"Yeah, Dr. Carey is a pretty good guy, he probably didn't want to have us arrested at all, but if the School governors put pressure on him he'd have no choice."

"The charges along with the charges of the other 16 kids have been dropped."

"Can you do me a favor?"

"What is it sweetheart?"

"My friend Daniel, he was probably arrested with me, his dad is a Corporate Lawyer and doesn't like his family being anything less than perfect…..He's not as nice a guy, as he lets everyone think…"

Her father looked angry. "Do you think Daniel's father hit him?"

"He's on a Business trip until tonight, and he wouldn't cut it short, not for Daniel, not for anything, but once he's back, he'll hurt him..."

"What's Daniel's last name?"

"Matheson, Daniel Matheson, we were always put next to each other…..he's sweet…he my best friend, we're not boyfriend girlfriend but we let most people think we are…." She didn't mention Daniel was gay, she was the only one who knew. He was Eleanor Roosevelt's star soccer star, and Soccer stars weren't gay right. Everyone assumed she was his girlfriend.

"Why?" Her mother asked.

"Because his father is" Not being able to politely describe him. "…..and if he found out he liked Boys there's a very real possibility he would kill Daniel." She said a Matter of factly. "And Daniel is my best friend…..I have photos, Polaroid's I took them after every beating….." She went into a Box and dug them out they were in a Blue Photo album. She handed it to the president."

"Does he have any relatives he can go to?"

"Not that he's met, but his father was the product of a relationship before his grandfather got married his grandfather's name was Joseph Henry Hayes, he's…."

"He's Federal Judge in South Carolina…."

"We'll find something…" His father said. I have to get back to running the country." Her father said. "But first….." he wrapped her into a warm hug. "I am so glad you are home Alexandra."

After getting her room mostly squared away. It was lunch time, they had some fancy but healthy sandwiches that did fill her up, and her mother kept asking her questions. The school rumors, kept going around about her. CJ came to talk to her and her mother.

"I've never been pregnant I kiss Daniel and we hold hands but that's because he's gay, and his father would murder him if he found out, we'd probably hug a lot anyway its' the only affection either of us gets, but I mean, we wouldn't kiss or hold hands. I do have, or had multiple piercings, and I have two tattoos a paint brush crossing a quill pen on my foot, and Athena's Owl, with a small banner that says, Nam Et Ipsa Sciencia Potestas Est. Which means for Knowledge itself is Power, High On My Hip, Unless naked or wearing a bikini that My mother would ground me for six months for wearing no would see the Owl tattoo, and most shoes cover the Paint brush and quill tattoo, it's also very small, it's not large tattoo…..

"Can I see it the quill and paint brush?" CJ said. She shrugged and took off her comfy Pink Bunny Slipper, and Wonder Woman Socks, and it was a fine line black and grey tattoo, Quinn pen and Pain brush crossing close to the edge of her foot near the toes close to the Pinky a Cm by one CM

"It can be covered up by foundation if it's a problem CJ I've done it before."

"It should be covered up by shoes even during a ball. I don't see an issue of it not being covered but it will come out at some point so both of them need to be photographed, What does the other one look line?"

"It's a fine line black and grey of an owl, taken straight from an Athenian Coin from the 5th century BC, it's about one inch by Inch, I added the Quote though they never had such a quote on coinage."

"Did you have permission to get them?"

"I had Lydia…..Harris' Permission but as she wasn't really my mother, I didn't really have permission I doubt My parents would have given it, and I doubt I could have convinced Liz or Ellie to take me…so the short answer is yes, the longer answer is a bit more complicated."

"We need to talk about your weight?"

"I've had a problem with my weight since I was about 11 or 12, I have an eating addiction, I try to make it to OA a few times a week, now…..but I don't always get the chance." She said.

"You have a sponsor." Her Mother asked.

"Yes, I've already lost about 30 pounds…I was very heavy, I was border line Diabetic and I decided I needed to do something, I'm on step four."

"Alexandra you can't go to meetings anymore." CJ said.

"They have phone meetings…..I've done those before, you don't even have to talk, no one would know I was attending, and I wouldn't have to leave the white house, and I'm sure I could keep the same sponsor….."

"We'd rather you spoke to someone official, someone with doctor-patient confidentiality." CJ said.

"No one in OA would break anonymity." CJ sighed she wondered if she was ever that young and Naïve.

"We'll talk more about what can do about the tattoos and OA another time, I need you tell me anything that might come back to haunt you."

"Lydia…..wasn't the best mother, I mean I thought she was my mother and all but I wasn't exactly surprised when this came out…."

"Did she hurt you?" Abbey asked suddenly.

"No, but there weren't hugs, I didn't seek comfort the way children do, She was a good friend, mentor to me is a better word and she taught me a lot of really cool stuff, but she wasn't parent, She let me do whatever I wanted even when I was little…..before the plane I don't remember the last time I was held by someone besides Daniel it was so easy for us to pretend to be girlfriend boyfriend because he really is my best friend and has been since we were four, and we're very comfortable with each other, the only hugs we get are from each other…..the only affection…Um, I'm not very popular there are a lot or rumors nearly every week, none of them are true…but you can't categorically deny them because a few of them have a grain of truth of them...Um, I spend a lot of time at the morgue, the library, in the art room, at the record store…..I am a pretty decent computer programmer, but My programming has always been in the vein of design, I am, I'm an artist….besides when I was about four or five, I got lost in a mall four about an hour and I went to a police man and she was called the security desk, she got drunk and ranted for about two hours about people in black suits coming to take me away, it terrified me, It kept me from doing anything, that I thought would bring the law down on my head until recently…...I really didn't think they'd call the cops, I just thought we'd be have our parents called and we'd be suspended, and since Lydia doesn't give a damn what I do most of the time I considered this a low risk. I didn't want Daniel to participate, but he insisted."

"You want to be an artist?"

"Pretty much, something involving Art and computers but if I could solve crime too, I could consider that the perfect job. Growing up in a morgue I always considered it a possibility, crime solving, but I never really liked any of the jobs I observed. A forensic Artist, is something I would consider….."

The talk with CJ ended and she had school work to do. Lunch came. Her Mom found her a telephone meeting of OA, to listen to during lunch. Meanwhile he got the ball rolling on the Daniel, he handed over the photos to who he needed to hand them over to. And went back to governing the nation.

The Bartlett daughters, grandchildren and son-in-law were on their way to the White House, and because of the briefings new why, they also knew what she look like because of the numerous photos from her life in Philadelphia floating around, incidentally none of the photos floating around were from after she lost the 30 pounds, and starting eating better. She still cheated now and then she had a feeling her mother wouldn't let her anymore. She had a doctor's appointment tomorrow her mother told her. And they called to get her stuff from Dr. Stowe. She liked Dr. Stowe, she liked Dr. Delgado too. And she admitted she had a giant crush on the Male Nurse Peter, who wouldn't. He is kind, compassionate, sensitive and hot.

Her record player is set up, and she puts on Tapestry, then gets out her Sketch pad, on her drawing pencils and begins to draw. After Both sides of Tapestry she listens to Rhymes and Reasons, and then she gets out Gypsy: A Musical Fable an original case recording because she feels like a little Ethel Merman.

The cars with the Bartlett family arrive at five, Liz is Pregnant, She has a 12 year old daughter, Doug is with her, and their luggage in one car. Ellie and Zoey are in the other.

"What do you think she's like?" Ellie asked.

"I don't know. She's starting she's so Young and she didn't grow up in the spotlight like we did, I hope she can handle it."

"Well, you know CJ is going to freak did you see those pictures, multiple piercings, some pictures with Black hair, some with Purple, Blue, Green…some of her classmates said she had tattoos, they're already talking to reporters, although some of her friends said she's not one of the popular crowd, and that there's a new rumor going around about her once a week, none of them have been true before, so I wouldn't necessarily believe whatever they're saying."

"She's kind of heavy…"

"Bet Mom loved that, she's probably going to get her on a diet and exercise program right away."

"Probably I hope she doesn't rebel too much…I mean a lot of people freak when they get into public life…"

Dinner was planned, since it was her long lost daughter's favorite Chicken Marsala and Penne with Marsala sauce, Garlic bread, tossed salad with raspberry vinaigrette and Tiramisu for dessert was being made, along with a Arnold Palmers for their daughter to drink apparently she loved Arnold Palmer's made with Raspberry lemonade Crystal Light, and Peach Mango Ice Tea Crystal Light. She had brought her own considerable stash of both from Philly, had it, the combined gallon pitcher of both two quart mixes was in the fridge now, and in her own reusable plastic cup with a straw, an adult sippy cup she called it. Had Skulls Van Gough's Starry Night all over it.

She was in her room, told her to be casual but not mistress of the dark either. So she put on her Black on Black Converse, Her Stonewash jeans, a plain light Blue T-Shirt, and a Dark Grey sweatshirt. Her hair was short, instead of spiking it like she usually did, she brushed it and let it lay natural. Her hair was naturally a very dark brown, it was very little difference between the black she died it and the color it was naturally, it really was just a matter of degrees. You can tell of course the difference, if she chose to let it grow out but not from a distance. She was called from her new room, and her Mother and father were there, and people she'd only seen on the background at political rallies on TV.

"Hello…." She said.

"Allie…." The Oldest said.

"Lexie actually, she called me, my Legal name was Lexis Anne Maxwell. So, I'm used to Lexie which is a good thing, Lexie is a diminutive of Alexandra and Alexandra is my Legal name, it would be a lot more confusing is she decided to call me Callie or Grace or something. So you're Liz."

"Yes, I'm Liz."

"Mom, told me a lot about all of you, well, not a lot, as much as could be told in the time we've had…..I have questions."

"We do too." Zoey said. The girls sat and "So you're in the 8th grade?"

"9th….."

"And you decided to lead a sit in against banned Books." Liz asked.

"They were banning books that they previously stocked in the school library, I took offense to that and so did dozens of other students, there was a petition of almost 200 students, that's almost half the student population but we could only get 17 students to sit in with us, they had no problems with us sitting in the library during school hours skipping classes all day, it wasn't until the school was closing around 7 PM, that they called the cops on us. I honestly thought they would just call our parents and escort us off property maybe have us suspended since Lydia didn't care what I did as long as I didn't hurt myself or anyone else or get pregnant, I didn't think it was a problem."

"So what do you do for fun?"

"I draw, paint, write short stories, read, listen to music, design things using computer aided drawing software, I had a garden in Philly, I'm really kind bummed about leaving behind I had just started planting everything….."

"You can have a garden here at the white House, Lexie." Her mother said "CJ will beyond trilled to be able to say some of your vegetables or flowers at a state dinner."

"I guess."

"What's wrong?"

"It's kind of strange going from nothing I did, ever mattering much, I was talked about sure, rumors always spreading about me because I was Eleanor Roosevelt's weird kid, but I was also kind of invisible too, nothing I did much mattered to anyone besides Daniel, and a few other friends, I'm not used to people caring what I say or do….not just the press or my father's staff, but adults, anyone really, except for Daniel and our friends Maisy and Olivia, three weeks ago, I could have died and no one would have cared, and I doubt very many people would have noticed. The Popular kids would have found a new victim, the teachers would have mourned for half a second, before moving on, Lydia would only have noticed because she had to plan the funeral, No one would have told my sponsor what happened to me so she would have assumed I just stopped coming, the only people who would have mourned me were my three friends, and My Priest Father Mulcahy." No one knew what to say to that.

"I didn't think Dorothy Harris was Catholic." Her father said.

"She's not and she didn't raise me Catholic, But I started going two years ago to St. Michael's Catholic Church in our Neighborhood, I needed something, I wasn't sure why but Lydia was acting crazier than usual I now know it was because of the election, he really helped me. He'd tell me stories, listen, besides Daniel who listened when I talked, He was a Lieutenant in Korea, a Chaplain in a MASH Unit, taught me how to Box, he has this way of looking at things. That very different from what you'd think a priest would say."

Once again Jed Bartlett thanked God for looking after his daughter. That night, the Youngest Bartlett daughter could sleep, so she drew, and listened to her CD player, she took off her headphones there was knock on the door.

"Come in….." the door opened and her Mother came in.

"You shouldn't be awake."

"last night I was exhausted but tonight I just too many thoughts, my mind can't stop long enough for me to sleep…..I did sleep for about an hour an half, but I woke up….."

"You really need to sleep, baby girl…."

"I can't my mind just won't turn off….."

"Do you know deep breathing techniques?"

"Father M taught me."

Her Mother helped her guided her breathing, and eventually she fell asleep, her mother cleaned up her drawings, taking some of the drawings the ones of the two of them, the ones of her and Jed, and all four girls, doing what any mother would taking them so she could get them framed. It daughter was a gifted artist. And it was a very accurate and beautiful crafted black and white drawing of the two of them.


	3. First Days

**Third Chapter**

 **I don't own the West Wing or any of the shows I mention if I did I highly doubt I would be posting them on Fan .** If I did own the West Wing, Mandy would have not been given the freedom she was during the first season she was a consultant not senior staff, the Rosslyn thing would have been less dangerous because the Secret Service wouldn't have caved about the canopy, Sam and Ainsley would have ended up together between the time he left the White House and when he came back to be the DCOS, married and had a child together, I can assure you of that. Charlie and Zoey's never would have broken up, she never would have ended up with the French douche and gotten herself kidnapped, also Liz would have kicked Doug at some point during the president's first term causing a scandal. Also the Staffer's would have had reactions to the MS more like Donna's she's the only one who asked If the President was alright.

 **After an enlightening Post. I realized the Post-er was correct. Lexie would be going into the 10th grade. But while she had her 15th birthday already, she still inly 14, because her fake Birthday is April 1st, and her real Birthday is August 15. I also got rid of the line about the running because it was from an earlier draft that I disliked greatly because it turned her into Princess Punk picture perfect at everything once they cleaned her up, except for the tattoos she would have been a Mary Sue.**

Lexie woke up, she really hoped she didn't imagine her mother coming in and helping her calm her down, Lydia would never have done that not even when she was little. Lexie took a shower but she really wasn't sure what to wear. Her Mother came in.

"Unsure of what to wear?"

"Yes."

"Casual but Preppy is a good look for today, so your converse, a pair that matches one of the blouses I bought you God knows you have Khakis in every conceivable color, khakis, the Blouse should be light colored, baby blue, light green, Cream…."

"Blue I guess it matches my eyes, and I refuse to wear cream because it's the color of the Frakken walls, you realize until a few days ago I wouldn't even wear clothes like this to the Stuck up Stepford factory I was forced to attend every day." She said.

"Yes, and I realize you're doing this because you care about us, and you realize the sacrifices have to be made when you're in the public eye, and if Jed was still just an economics professor and I was still just a Surgeon you could wear whatever you wanted."

"He was already a Congressman when I was taken, and after meeting you and Him, I can safely say even he was still an economics professor at Dartmouth and you were a Head of Cardio Thoracic at a Dartmouth-Hitchcock, there would never be anything 'Just' about you and dad. You don't have the intelligence, the heart, the drive that you two have separately and the passion you do have for each other, your family and your country without being something special, not to mention that fact that you two are literally the human embodiment of term the whole being more than the sum of its parts."

Abbey flushed their daughter had known them for three days, three days, this child had known them, and she had formed this opinion.

"And when did you come to this opinion."

"Well Most of that I already knew before I met you, I may not be old enough to vote but I am an informed citizen and I campaigned for then Governor Bartlett, I watched every Interview you guys did, I knew you were more than the sum of your parts on the first interview I saw. When I saw him wince when they introduced you at Mrs. Bartlett instead of Dr. Bartlett, it was hardly noticeable but I saw it and you gave him this look, like I'm proud to be Mrs. Bartlett, I'm happy to be your wife, it's alright and you squeezed his hand."

"Not many people noticed that, CJ noticed and had a conniption."

"I don't think most people noticed, I just noticed because watching the many moods of Lydia made me very in tune to people's faces expressions. I needed to know when to make myself scarce."

"She didn't abuse you?"

"She never hit me, she'd have to touch me for that, in way I was abused, I was never hugged, or physically comforted, I mean she tended to wounds, and there were time when I'd get the playful gal pal and there'd be hair ruffling and playful banter, and she did expose me have a lot of men sleep over, but I was never in the same room when they were naked, I did witness a lot of heavy petting though, and most of them had no problem walking around in their boxers or Tighty Whiteys the next day. She taught me a lot of really cool things, how to do an Autopsy, how to play pool I'm a champion of Straight Pool at the Local place back in Philly I got 220 Points, I know the High score is 526, but it's a local high score, How to pick a pocket, pick a lock, trake someone who couldn't breathe using a ball point pen and a pocket knife, set a broken leg, deliver a baby, make gin, power a generation with an exercise bicycle, how to survive in the Wildness after Armageddon "

Abbey started to cry. Her daughter had been raised by a crazy woman they knew she had been kidnaped and wasn't treated the best but the woman was completely positively out of her mind which means she would most likely get off. How had she managed to be a medical examiner for years, help investigate murders, testify in court, put killers behind bars and never be fired or put on a 72 hours hold for observation? Of course if she drank, it was a sad indictment of the medical profession that a lot of old school doctors, and from what she heard of Dr. Louise McNamara the Head Coroner of Philadelphia one of the first female MEs in the country, was an Old School doctor, a lot of them tolerate doctors who drink. The three Martini lunch used to be a big part of the old boys club, and if she drank her eccentric behavior as long as she did her job and had a high enough conviction rate would be explained away.

"Mom?" Lexie asked.

"Lexie, what else did she do anything else to you, make you do anything?"

"I had to sit in a lot of autopsies when I was younger, because she didn't want to pay for a babysitter." She said after about a two minute silence.

"How Young?"

"I never had a babysitter when I lived with her, I always stayed at the morgue with her, but I used to hang out in Trace Stevie, Stevie was this really cool British goth chick she was pretty cool, she was talked very slowly, deliberately always formally, dressed like a Gothic Victorian lady, I always stayed with her, until I was about 7 and she left for the feds, and the new trace expert didn't want me hanging around. Mr. Ziegler is a lot like him in personality, although in looks, he looked a lot like Adrian Zmed after that I would just sit in on autopsies with her and draw, do homework or play on my game boy while she did paperwork until I was 12 and I started just doing whatever I wanted and going wherever I wanted and using public transit, and I mean she was acting so crazy, crazier than usual I wanted to keep my distance but it wasn't until about 10 months ago I dropped to actively avoiding her, and leaving whatever she needed to sign, in a manila envelope next a coffee put timed to turn on twenty minutes before her alarm every morning. But we really don't have time to discuss this now. I need to get dressed there's still breakfast to be had. And I'm sure it will be another egg white omelet."

"Yes, Rene will delicious omelets."

"Great, I'd kill for a cheese steak."

"I doubt you'd like it the way, I'd make Rene Prepare it, Lex. Go get ready." She did. And the shirt did bring out her eyes, she had a purse to match her shoes, her shirt and her eyes. She was coordinated. She had purses to match all her converse, they were all Canvas made by local DC artist, and could be either a messenger type bag or a backpack, she had nicer purses that matched her nicer, fancier shoes but she so refused to wear them, and a simple Black laptop case that looked like a big purse and not a laptop bag, she also had a laptop carrier that was a backpack, and had a second pocket for her sketchbooks. She preferred this one. She didn't carry her purse into the dining room with her, she just brought herself. Her Mom, Dad, Sisters, Brother-in-law, and Niece were there, they all had omelets she honestly couldn't tell the difference between theirs and hers. She tasted it.

"Spinach, Mushroom and Swiss Omelet, side of Bacon." She said happily "Thanks Mom, when you told me Rene was making me an Egg White Omelet I honestly was terrified but it's delicious."

"Medea am I eating turkey bacon?" Her father asked.

"We all are, we're all eating turkey bacon, and egg white Omelets."

"Why am I eating turkey bacon and an egg white omelet?""

"Your daughter is seriously overweight, Jethro she is technically obese since she is still a teenager and not an adult, if she doesn't lose weight now, As an adult she will be at risk for heart attack, stroke, liver disease, type two diabetes, Osteoarthritis , Obstructive sleep apnea, and certain types of cancer…we are being supportive…."

"I'm already at risk for Type two diabetes I was borderline last time I went to the doctor, that's what made me lose 30 pounds and start going to OA….." Lexie said. Jed paled slightly.

"I have no problem with the turkey bacon Abbey, I'll eat whatever you think we need to." He said calmly. Just the thought that his daughter might get sick, might die before him, made him feel sick not after they just got her back, and that she might suffer first, that was worse. Way, Way worse. Doug looked unhappy but her sisters were nodding along. Annie didn't seem to care one way or another, She didn't care that it was technically diet food it tasted good to her, Lexie ate her meal, she ate slowly, her old sponsor had talked to her about making a meal last, she used her wrist watch to time out six minute bites. It wasn't her old plain black Diver's Casio. It was a more expensive Silver Quartz diver's watch, she insisted with her tendency to spill she have a waterproof watch, so they got one that looked more like a women's dress watch. And since Silver was her metal, it was silver. Her necklace was Silver, it had a Blue topaz flower that matched her outfit, and her earrings were simple blue topaz studs. Her other holes were empty but they hadn't closed up yet.

"So, Aunt Lexie….." Annie wanted to know. "Have you ever kissed a boy?"

"Just my best friend Daniel but we were just pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend so his abusive homophobic father wouldn't accidentally beat him to death in a drunken rage or kick him out of the house." No one knew what to say to that. "Have you?"

"No, I really want to, too."

"My friend Maisy kisses lots of boys, of course she also…..never mind….she's not the best role model, and you definitely shouldn't be taking dating advice from Maisy if You don't want to end up…..again not a good topic for the breakfast table." Maisy was the school slut and already had Gonorrhea of the throat once, her parents are strict Catholics and made her take a virginity pledge but like some old school Catholics their definition of sex is very limited and she's taking full advantage of that.

"Alexandra we'll be talking about your friend Maisy and what exactly makes her a bad role model at length." Her Mother said.

"Well, her parents are strict old school Catholics who made her take a virginity pledge and like some old school Catholics, their definition and what they taught her what sex is rather limited and she takes advantage of that, let's just say the last time she went to the doctor for a sore throat it wasn't strep."

Jed drinking coffee and spit it all over coffee. "Oh, God she's 15 years old! I'm getting into it with the republicans right now….this is what happens when we go by their if they don't know what is it, they can't have it crap, Abbey…..We need to educate students in the high schools and junior high schools about this….I'm getting serious about this now….." Jed was furious, his daughter's friend.

"She's actually younger me she's only 14." Lexie said.

"Abbey!"

"Lexie, stop telling him things like this you're going to give him a heart attack." Abbey said slightly amused. "Why don't you tell us about your other friend you've told us about Daniel and Maisy, you three friends, what's your other friends, name, Olivia."

"Umm, I don't know if that will help in fact I'm pretty sure if hearing about Maisy made the vein in his neck bulge, this one is going to make it burst."

"I am perfectly fine, I was already briefed on all three of your friends Lexie, the briefing just didn't include the reason I need to light a fire under my staff about sexual education reform in schools" Jed said.

"Okay, um, well Olivia is on scholarship, she's from South Philly, she's got one of those once in a generation John Nash kind of minds, without the schizophrenia I mean she so beyond the pale of brilliance when it comes to Math. I mean she can't spell at all, and her basic grammar is for sh…I mean atrocious…..When we met she didn't know who Samuel Huntington was I've seen rectified that, but she has the kind of scientific mind that hasn't been seen the days of Socrates and Aristotle, before coming to Eleanor Roosevelt she went to Public School in South Philly, Her Mom has three jobs, she works one, so that they can still make ends meet and her Autistic brother can live in a good facility, She's actually the person who refined by chess game…..She and a wicked chess game, I don't think I've met anyone as good at chess as she is…..Not as good as Go, than again Go is my game….."

Jed blinks. He sighs. "I already knew that, it I've already talked to my staff about educational reform, and Medical insurance reforms."

"Okay….."

Jed made conversation. "So, Lexie they told us you were on the reserve Softball team, at Eleanor Roosevelt."

"Well yeah, I'm kinda like babe Ruth I can hit and pitch, but I can't actually run bases, but because of pressure from the board of governors Coach Starnella couldn't put on the first string until I could run the bases without getting winded, not that I needed to run the bases, I had a tendency to knock it out of the park."

"Are you a baseball fan?" Liz asked.

"Not to the point where I follow Major league baseball, if I did I would probably root for the Red Sox, since as far as I knew was born there. But I've been to several Eleanor Roosevelt games, and I went to a Penn State game once….and I've been to a few Boxing matches, Father M is a big fan, but those were I didn't enjoy them…I really don't see what Father M sees in them."

"Lexie are you done?" Her Mother said.

"Yeah."

"Alright, we need to meet with your new agent, and then we're going to go out to meet your new doctor. Dr. Erin Hunnicutt is a friend of mine from Harvard Medical whose double board certified in Internal Medicine and General Surgery."

"I didn't think anyone Certified in Internal Medicine and General Surgery." Off her Look. "Most of Father M's closest friends are retired Surgeons, until four days ago, he was the only adult I genuinely trusted."

"It's rare yes, she was a surgeon first and she went back. Go finish getting ready."

"Alright….." She left the room. Jed smiled.

"I talked to Father Mulcahy, he didn't tell me much after all she might not have had her first communion, or been confirmed but the sanctity of confession extends to all. But he did tell me a few things, that while he never once suspected that Lexie had been physically or verbally abused, he did suspect emotional abuse, and after a few dozen conversations it was confirmed but he can't get into specifics without breaking his vows. He also wasn't sure if it was in her medical records that she was allergic to turmeric. He said she had a severe allergic reaction when she had curry once and it was narrowed down to turmeric."

"It is, I've already informed Rene." Abbey said. "Since the spice is only used in making Bangladeshi, Vietnamese, Iranian, Pakistani, Cambodian and Indian cuisine it could be worse but it's from the ginger family so she needs to be tested for allergens against other ginger related spices. I've got an appointment with the allergist Dr. May, as well for today, the Therapist Dr. Phelan, as the Nutritionist Dr. Stillwell, and the Personal trainer Ms. Sullivan are willing to meet here as the white house and they will be coming tomorrow, and her tutor, Ms. Jackson is coming this Afternoon."

"Sounds like a full schedule." Came in with her matching Blue canvas bag, and a very light jacket that completed the ensemble, the jacket pulled the outfit together and made it look more professional, but it the material was more shirt like, and very comfortable. It was very thin, and breathable, and was a different blue than her shoes and bag but matched one of the blue of her shirt since her shirt was multiple her colors, and did match her earrings and necklace. It was a very well put together, conservative outfit and the old her would not have dressed like that, but it is something that she doesn't mind wearing, she dressed like she did, not because she was angry with the world, but because she liked dressing that way, she was expressing herself, but the more weight she loses, the more she wants to look pretty, she as long as she can wear pants, and her converse, she really doesn't care if she has to dress differently then she used to. She knows she'll still try to assert her individuality the first time she tries to wear converse someone they don't want her to, or handmade local Jewelry instead of some big name. But that's for later.

She came out with her bag, and ready and she went into the living room, and her father and mother were sitting with Ron, and 5'2, petite, blonde woman with Green eyes of about 32. She's small, and doesn't look much like a secret service agent. She will blend in very well. She's pressed in Khakis, with a Black t-shirt, a light jacket, and black boots.

"Lexie this is the head of your detail. Grace Cabot."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Bartlett."

"Lexie please, I'm not quite used to being called Bartlett, and there's only a 50/50 chance I'll answer Bartlett, Alexandra, 70 or 80%, it might not be my first instinct but the names are similar enough that I can guess people mean me." She was being completely serious.

"Good to know."

"Do I call you Ms. Cabot, or Grace?"

"Grace is fine." Jed had liked her background. She went to UNLV, Her family may have started off as Boston Brahmin's, but in the mid-19th century they made their way west as Pioneers, settled in the Nevada, and built a successful ranch that her family still works to this day. She attended Notre Dame, Served Treasury in the Counterfeit Unit for a while, before being assigned to The French Ambassador, She is literally the third best shot in the Secret Service what she aims at she hits, she has an uncanny ability to see what others don't, and an expert in three different Martial arts, she is also **_never_** afraid to fight dirty, and is fiercely protective, loyal, creative, and personable. And that is why he wants her for his youngest daughter's protection. Hell if she had siblings in the Secret service he'd get them for his other daughters. She has a Brother in the SEALs, he's been trying to convince him to make the jump to secret service and join Zoey's detain so far it hasn't happened. If he thought he could get away with cloning her, he would.

"Good."

"We should go." Her mother said. They went to the doctor and Met. Dr. Hunnicutt she liked her. She knew she knew Father M. So she mentioned him and they got to talking, they took a lot of blood, and she had to pee in a cup, but that part was fine. She'd lost a few more pounds she was down to 175. But she found the scratches and the other wounds she'd given herself. There weren't many, just three, and none of them were infected, and they weren't cuts. They were scratches, she'd made with her long nails.

"What are these?"

"A cat?"

"I've had several cats over the years, Ms. Bartlett I know what a cat scratch looks like, these look like human scratches….were you in a fight?"

"No."

"No?" Her Mother asked.

"I did them…." She asked looking down at the floor, blushed and mumbling her answer.

"Self-inflicted, Alexandra, what did that woman do to you?" Abbey was angry she was beyond angry, she was so angry and furious she was past angry and calm again. Not at her baby, she wasn't angry at her daughter. She knew it wasn't her daughter's fault, her child was subjected to dead bodies, and exposed to sex, and left to raise herself, she was never given any boundaries, and also had to deal with the mercurial moods of the woman who abducted so she ate food, like her Godfather Leo drank, and she scratched her own skin with her long finger nails. She didn't believe for one minute someone didn't know that Dorothy Loren Harris was Lydia Maxwell, that someone didn't know she was unstable, and that someone didn't know that she at the very least had adopted Lexie under less than ethical circumstances. Her husband had mentioned the FBI was looking into the insistences in the Philadelphia Morgue and Homicide Unit. If they had looked the other way while her child was neglected and emotionally abused for 11 years, well the last time a Mother was this angry and vengeful over the kidnaping of her child, Winter was invented.

"Not all of her many faces were nice, she never hit me, but she could say things that were pretty much like Backhanded insults, very vicious, but only if you're smart enough to listen, and then there were other times when her words were just pure venom, it was part of the reason I started eating in the first place, the venom only really happened when she was drunk the backhanded insults were par for the course unless she was in gal pal or professor mode, the girls at school aren't much better, and I can go toe to toe with them verbally, I'm very good at it, which makes them more vicious."

"First of all from now on, I'll be in the room with you when you get ready for bed, to make sure you don't have any new scratches….." Her mother said. "Not every time you dress or change just bed, and we're cutting your nails so you can't scratch yourself anymore, if I have to change you personally everything time you dress I will, when I'm away, you'll have a nanny to make sure there aren't any new wounds."

She had cancelled travel for the next six weeks, well not all travel, but she cancelled everything that wouldn't have her home at the residence that same night. She had already considered hiring a nanny for her daughter, but now she would need one with a psych background. Mental health workers, Psych backgrounds, social workers. It wouldn't be much a difference in pay scale some of them would actually be paid more at the white house at First Nanny which actually was a position just not usually used with teen first children than their former jobs, and it would look really good on their resume. After Dr. Hunnicutt they Dr. May, she had to get scratch tests which went smoothly, after getting a tattoo it wasn't so bad. She wasn't allergic to anything other than the turmeric. When they were leaving the medical center there were some people taking some pictures with their phones, luckily it was a new technology and only the very newest phones had it. And they were very good pictures. A few reporters were there, a few people were asking questions, and Grace got her into the car. She was breathing heavy for a few seconds and then she was fine.

"Are you okay?" Her Mother asked her.

"I don't think I like that very much." She said.

"None of us do, but it's the price we pay for your father being able serve our country." Her Mother said.

When they got back, the youngest Bartlett daughter was thoughtful. She knew she'd been kept away from the press but she hadn't really realized how crazy these people were. She didn't like it one bit, how is she going to be a forensic artist and help solve murders if she can't interact with her colleagues. After her mother left her to her own devices she turned on the 11 o'clock briefing it was on the FBI Casey Creek Senate hearings which have been going on since April, and were back firmly in the headlines after her arrival swiftly kicked them out of top billing but she was still a big part of the briefing, the bigger part as a matter of fact, in fact the other thing they even got to, was that one of the Cabinet Members resigned when his son was diagnosed with Leukemia he was going home to Minnesota so they needed to appoint a new Secretary of transportation, all and all it was informative and she was starting to like CJ. She reminded her of those 40s movies stars. Like Betty Grable, or Jean Harlow. She sat down and talked with Zoey some. Meanwhile Mrs. Bartlett, went to look through names for the Alexandra's Nanny.


	4. starting the Day to Day

**Fourth Chapter**

 **Again I don't own any of these shows. If I did. There would be Waaaay more Abbey, because Abbey is Awesome and Stockard Channing is a tremendously talented Actress who is beyond amazing and her chemistry with Martin Sheen is wonderfully believable and makes you believe in fairytales.**

Since her Mom found out she hurt herself sometimes she had to tell the secret service, now she was never alone, even in the bathroom or the shower. They were always in the room with her. Always watching her. And there were two of them when she shaved her legs, or left the residence. Liz and her family, Ellie, and Zoe left to go back it was lonely, or would be if she had time to be lonely. Every morning she gets up, gets showered and dressed, had breakfast with her Mom but sometimes her mom and dad, then she met with Bex Sullivan her Personal trainer who was teaching her self-defense on even days and they were working out on odds, and then she have etiquette and Political lessons with Ms. Devereux, and then lunch usually with her agents, or sometimes with her Mom or dad, and then tutoring with Elle Jackson, and then On Mondays and Thursdays she has sessions with Dr. Phelan, on Tuesdays and Fridays she has a Sessions with her nutritionist sessions with Dr. Lauren Stillwell, and On Wednesdays there's riding lessons. Her horse is a black Arabian mare named Ebony. Or at least that's her schedule starting this week. She had a few dozen Message T-Shirts most were mild, that just say things like **_I should come with a Warning Label._** Or **_People Should Stop Expecting Normal from me._** There were at least six about Sarcasm alone, and handful about with Quotes. Since she was going to work out right after breakfast she was in a pair of Converse thunderbolt Moderns which were Modern athletic shoes, and except for some boots and alternative styles were one of her few not Converse classics. Of course they were all Converse and she had over 100 pairs, the thunderbolts were a little more stable than the Converse Classics. She was in a pair of Grey Sweatpants, and a dark grey T-Shirt that says **Don't Underestimate the power of Stupid people in large groups** , and a sketch of the capitol dome. She came in the room and sat down. Her Mother burst into laughter. Her father looked up, and looked at the T-shirt that was a little worn and slightly large on her.

"Trying to give CJ a stroke." Chuckled.

"I'm working out, I need to wear my comfortable clothes for that, and these are really comfortable."

"If one reporter sees you in that, or god forbid takes a picture we'll have a huge scandal you know that right." Her father said.

"I think that Politicians spend too much time worrying about how things look, how they look to other politicians, to reporters, to the other party, to their own party, to the people back home…..I paid attention, and you know before I came here, I watched CJ's briefings, not every single one, but the last one the day, most days, and there were at least one or two questions the reporters would ask that I honestly didn't give a damn about and I doubt many people did. There's so much the politicians spend time caring about that their constitutes honestly don't care about the reason they spend time on it, is because other political groups do care, not the people, but the political groups care, You know what the people I knew cared about, jobs, education, benefits, whether the water was going to come out the faucet clear and hot, and whether if they get killed are their kids taken care, you know what Daniel cared about? If his dad kicked him out for being gay would he still get his soccer scholarship, if his dad went too far someday would he be injured badly enough to lose his soccer scholarship and his ticket out from under his father's thumb, Maisy was scared of getting shipped off to an all girl's catholic boarding school, or getting kicked out her parents' house for not being a perfect catholic. Her parents never really wanted children they wanted the idea of children."

"I know the type." Jed said. "You really can't wear that shirt, anywhere reporters can see you."

"I have far worse T-shirts trust me. I have one that's the Thomas Jefferson Quote 'Government Big Enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have, that would pretty much give Josh and Toby Respective heart attacks…..not to mention the DNC leadership. And then I have one's with genuinely offensive sayings on them like "I thought I had Social Anxiety It turns out I just don't like people" Olivia got that one for me, or "I'm only Responsible for what I say, not what you understand." There are dozens that are just as offensive some are worse, like People say I have a bad attitude, I say Fuck 'Em. I mean I know there are certain ones I can't wear to school, or out in public, May favorite is "Having a Dirty mind makes every day conversations a lot more fun." I'm not stupid I know I can't wear most of these outside of the residence, or anything, but most of them are just mildly offensive and some are actually funny like "I'm always disappointed when a Liar's pants don't actually catch fire."

"If that actually happened DC would burn to the ground." Her dad said her Mom chuckled.

Her Mom smiled then said. "As long as it's nothing too offensive and we don't have to leave the white house you can wear them, but if we ever have to leave the white house you can't wear them when we go to Manchester they're not coming with us. You have other shirts for that."

"And I'm supposed to not look like a I just rolled out of bed." Remembering CJs talk on the t-shirt and jeans. "Are we going shopping for dressier clothes?"

"On Friday. Going to New Hampshire is still two weeks away, this week, you need to study for your finals with Ms. Jackson and next week you'll sit for them."

She nods. Tracy D'Angelo one of Lexie's A team comes into the room "Miss Bartlett has her session with Miss Sullivan right now." It wasn't really in her job description to keep the girl's schedule, but until the Nanny was vetted and hired they really didn't mind the kid was pretty messed up from her kidnapping but also pretty sweet, and sarcastic and funny, and had a mischievous side.

"Alright, go ahead sweetheart, We'll see you maybe at lunch, I hope you can make it Jed Rene's making us Turkey burgers and Sweet Potato fries today." She said. After Lexie left with her agent.

"I'll try, but I most likely won't be able to."

"I know."

'How has she been doing?"

"Since she started wearing the offensive shirts better."

"You think that's helping?"

"I do she needed a pressure valve and I think she found it. and I think she wore that one on purpose to get a rise out of you, you notice she only wore it with her sweats not later when she would have been in the West Wing, She's not going out of her way to be offensive or antagonistic but she likes getting a rise out of people. And we're not going to get her to stop wearing Converse she considers them her trade mark, She told me that she'll wear real shoes to balls, and state dinners, but that's it. I think that's about all we can expect she also said she only wears Jewelry made my local artists. She has several dozen pieces done Artists in Philadelphia, her favorite is an artist named Mariana Castellano, a third generation Jeweler from South Philadelphia, who attended Rhode Island School of Design. I'm actually making contact with her tomorrow. I'm making a trip to Philadelphia to meet with the doctors at the Rittenhouse Women's health Clinic it was actually set up months ago I'll be showing off Dr. Bartlett's mad Skills at a free clinic, the reason I'm not cancelling is that Lexie was a patient there and I want to talk to her doctor in person."

"Good….." He said. "We have her files but there has to be something in them…"

"I know…"

"We should both get to work."

Lexie worked hard in the room in the Residence they turned into her work out room. it had a heavy bag, a speed bag, one of those high tech marital arts dummies, pads and mats, and everything, weights, and a tread mill. Ms. Sullivan's name was Bex, short for Rebecca. They stretched first, and then they went on the treadmill, it took her half hour to do a mile. Then they tried their hand some martial arts training. Then it was time for her shower, Her T-shirt wasn't too offensive and simply explained how Apples kept everyone way not just doctors if they were thrown hard enough, After her shower she went to see Ms. Devereux Who as far as she knew had no first name, and scared her a little. After that was Lunch. Her Mom was there, but her dad was too busy. After lunch her Secret Service agent said she could go see her dad for a few minutes before her tutoring session. She brought him a sketch of the two of them playing chess she did the night before, and kissed his cheek and went to see her new tutor Miss Jackson.

Miss Elle Jackson, was a 24 year old positively drop dead gorgeous light skinned African American, American History Graduate Student, with bright Green eyes, whose father was a White House Counsel in a previous administration before becoming a federal appellate court judge, whose grandfather was a Civil Rights Lawyer, who's Great-grandfather was a Porter in the White House and Who's Great-great grandfather had been a Slave and then Porter in the White House. She had ties to the iconic White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and when asked to serve she did so without question. She got right down to business the bright, and articulate 14 year old knew the material well, and would ace everything except for Mathematics and French which they reviewed again. The girl was very intelligent and thought for herself, but didn't dismiss other people's ideas outright, and she had no problem asking for help, and while she was sarcastic, she wasn't rude. She also it seemed had a bit of a mouth on her. it was obvious to Elle, she stopped herself from saying something truly insulting, rude or profane a few times. Next was with Dr. Phelan, She and Lexie talked. And talked, and Lexie wasn't sure if she was saying anything important but she was.

The next day. Her mom wasn't at breakfast, but her father was. She knew she had to leave today it was the first time she was going to be gone.

"She left at 4 am sweetheart, but she left strict instructions with everyone so I doubt we'll get to play while that cat's way."

"That's too bad." She said. "What are you doing today?"

"I have a meeting with the Ambassador to England, Sir Richard Olivet, and I have a meeting with the new Secretary of transportation, and the Secretary of Education, and I have a meeting with the Joint Chiefs about something…..and I have a meeting with I'm meeting with some first veterans."

"Dad, I used to volunteer a lot, it's still really important to me and I haven't got to since…."

"What did you do?"

"Well I volunteered at the church with Father M, and I volunteered at the VA, and the Golden Crest Nursing Home, The Philadelphia Public Library I loved doing story Hour, and sometimes I volunteered at the Rittenhouse Women's health clinic, especially during breast cancer month….."

"Well the easiest for you do now, would be story hour, Get you to a library on a Saturday, to read to kids, but we'll need to talk to the Secret Service and CJ." He said. "Lex it might not be possible."

"I know, but I don't want to be the princess in the tower, I want to get down in the dirt and help people." She said.

"If You can't get down in the dirt, we'll find you an organization you can join and help using your name and influence sometimes when you get into politics you have to help that way."

Meanwhile in Philadelphia the first meeting in The first Lady's agenda was a meeting with an old priest. She went into St. Michael's rectory, and he was there. He really did look very good.

"Dr. Bartlett please welcome to my Home, Coffee?"

"Please…."

"We have some mutual friends, Dr. Erin Hunnicutt, and Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester."

"Really?"

"Charles and I served in Korea together, and Erin is the daughter of BJ Hunnicutt who served with us. He's currently a Professor at UC Stanford in Medical Ethics, Dr. Winchester is Dean of Medicine at Mass Gen, he really should retire but his work, and his niece is the only things keeping him alive."

"His niece?"

"Margaret McGuire, Leo McGarry's assistant. She's the last of the Boston Winchesters….."

"I'm sure she wasn't hiding it, no one just bothered to ask. And of course if anyone bothered to ask they'd know she has a degree from Harvard University, He raised her you know Charles. But he was terribly permissive and spoiled her rotten, giving her anything she could want or need. But she knows far more about medicine than you'd think which given who she's been working for since he ran the department of labor that might not be a bad thing.

"I'm sure."

"What is it you wanted to know my dear?"

"How unstable is my daughter?"

"As long as she has pressure valves to release her emotions not unstable at all. Her Writing, her drawing, It's the pressure valves she chooses that aren't always the healthiest, the eating, the self-harm, the using her adoptive mother's motorcycle to go on late night high speed rides through the streets of Philadelphia, the standing atop the roof of her house and looking down at the ground, these are not healthy, but she did fairly well at beating up the heavy bag, that seemed to make her feel better, the wearing of highly inappropriate t-shirts….She really isn't as unstable as she seems. But she is a tea kettle and if she doesn't blow off steam every once in a while, she'll explode."

Next she went to the women's health clinic, and helped treat several patients with the press looking on, then she talked with the staff about her daughter. She even had lunch with some of the doctors. The Clinic had gotten funding for this little escapade which she is sure the only reason Lu Delgado agreed to it first lady or not. Although they had a very nice discussion she and Dr. Delgado, about funding, and things she felt her patients needed the first lady agreed. Next she so wanted to go to the Jewelry store her daughter loved but the Secret Service couldn't secure it in enough time. She did go to Eleanor Roosevelt and Met some of students including Maisy and Olivia. And the Principal and Coach Starnella. Who gave her insight into her daughter.

"There were so many adults who cared about her so much, but she was so jaded and hurt by life, she couldn't let them in. I think that if she's letting you in, you need to make damn sure you don't do anything to break that trust because she won't let you in again." The woman said. It was pretty bold to say that to the first lady but Abbey appreciated that the woman cared enough about her daughter to say it.

Meanwhile Dorothy Loren Harris had been extradited to New Hampshire and was about to go in for a competency hearing before a Judge. The trial for Kidnapping and all the lesser charges would happen as soon as she was proved either fit or not fit for trial. If she was proved actually insane, Philadelphia's legal system would be an even bigger mess than it was already, having a criminal ME was horrible, and all her cases would be reopened, but having an insane ME, that would taint the entire ME's office the PD, possibly up to the mayor's office, they knew Louise McNamara and Frank O'Connell was complacent in whatever was going on, but if she was actually found Mentally incompetent for stand trial, there would be IAD investigations spanning months, possibly senate hearings, the only one who wanted her to be found incompetent was her lawyer. Because it made his job a hell of a lot easier. You really can't defend a sane person kidnapping a US Congressman's daughter, then taking her across several state lines and then emotionally abusing and neglecting her for 11 years while playing fast and loose with the criminal justice system. Every reporter who could was outside the court room it was a closed hearing was there. She was found competent to stand trial. She understood the difference between legal and not legal, she just didn't think it applied to her. But she does have Borderline Personality disorder, and the defense does have some chance to get her committed, where she'll actually get help.

The rest of the week goes by quickly, and Lexie has lost another ten pounds. She was down to 165. Which was great progress she knew. But wasn't fast enough for her. She also wasn't crazy enough to do anything more drastic than she was doing. Her clothes were adjusted for her. On Friday instead of tutoring and Ms. Devereux, she went out Shopping with her Mother and had Lunch in the middle. She got lots of Skirts, and pants, and blouses, and things that looked both casual and dressy at the same time. She refused to get shoes, saying she would wear her converse. Her Mother just shook her head. The next week, went by quickly she had finals to take.


	5. Intellectual Badass

**Chapter five**

 **How Much I wish I owned The West Wing. My brother got the complete series on DVD last year for Christmas I'm a little jealous but I'm much too practical to ask for the series when I have Netflix. I asked for new winter coat instead. My Mother went overboard and got me a Michael Kors. it's fabulous. and I still get to watch the West Wing whenever I want, even If I don't own the show or the DVDs. I'm also playing a little in their universe but I promise to put everything back where I found it when I'm done the people watching the DVDs and on Netflix will never know the difference.**

She still wore her T-Shirts, she went into the West Wing more. And Each time, CJ saw her in one her eyes bugged out a little. She didn't wear any of the ones that that would have gotten her suspended at school, or even gotten her detention. She isn't stupid, or crazy contrary to Popular opinion She gave her dad says **_Nerd? I prefer Intellectual Badass_** , it was way too big for her now. That she lost three sizes. It was almost brand new she only just bought right before, her pretty pink denial Bubble was burst. He loved it. He wore it down to the oval today, it's a Saturday.

"Mister President you're wearing a T-Shirt and Jeans." Leo said.

"It's Saturday and My daughter gave me this shirt. It doesn't fit her anymore, and it's one of the few that aren't wildly inappropriate for me to wear to the office, but there were a few that I took from her too big pile to wear to bed. Some of them were very funny, even if they are really offensive….I have a few that I want to give to the staff and have them wear in the bag."

"Sir are you sure that's a good idea."

"Probably not, but I'm the President and It's a Saturday, and they have to do what I say, and I promised Lexie I'd do it and we'd all take pictures in the residence, if she gave away the shirts that were too big she didn't want to Leo."

"I understand sir."

Mrs. Landingham came in. "The Senior staff came is here sir."

"Send them in."

"Sir, you're shirt….." CJ said.

"It's it nice, isn't it CJ, My daughter gave it me…..I think it's a very apt saying. I never thought I was a nerd, now I have the right phrase to describe myself."

"Yes, Sir."

"Anyway, She's lost some weight and a lot of her T-Shirts don't fit her anymore, most are going to charity, I kept a few, but I've picked out a few for the senior staff to wear today.'

"Sir?" Toby said.

"I promised my daughter Toby, suck it up." He reached for the bag near his desk. He pulled the first one out. "This one is for CJ. It says I'm only Responsible for what you say, not what you Understand."

He hands the shirt to CJ. She puts it on over her Suit. "Next…."

He digs out a Black T-Shirt and takes it out. "Ah Toby this one's for you."

He takes it. And Looks at it and Snorts, he puts it on without a word. It says. **If you don't want a Sarcastic Answer, don't ask a Stupid Question.**

"I get to keep this sir, right?"

"Oh, Yes, Toby these are all for you to keep."

He takes out another black T-Shirt, "Sam!"

He hands it to Sam, who turns it over and looks at it, he raised an eyebrow. He lifts it up and turns it around it says **_so when it this Old enough to know better supposed to kick in._**

"Finally last but not least Josh….I picked this one specifically for you."

He took out a grey shirt, Josh looked at the Black Writing it said **Alright that's it whoever's in charge of stopping me from doing Stupid Shit is fired.**

"Leo doesn't get one?" Josh asked.

"Well, I Suppose….." The President grinned.

"Mister President."

"DO you really want to disappoint your Goddaughter, She's looking forward to this."

"It's not right to use Lexie against me sir, what monstrosity did you pick out for me."

"Abbey actually picked this one out for you."

"Wonderfully." It said **behind every Great Man was a Woman rolling her eyes**. That wasn't so bad. And it was probably true although in his case there was probably more than one woman rolling their eyes.

Lexie studied all day. The shirts, pants, and other clothing that was too big for her that she didn't keep was donated anonymously to a charity that provides clothes for the poor and homeless. They were thrilled to get larger sizes. Large people almost never donate, they usually give their clothes to people they know because it's so hard to find good clothes in their size. And despite the message T-shirts, Lexie's clothes were high quality. Most were designer. The only thing in Lexie's wardrobe that wasn't designer were the Novelty socks, and many different Converse she insisted she wore and the local handmade jewelry. Dorothy Loren Harris might not have been born into a society family, but they had money, a lot of money, on both sides and she was the only one left. She had by 1998 half a Billion dollars in her bank account and she gave her adopted daughter a Debit/Credit card and let her spend it whatever she wanted when she was 11 when she actually cared enough to ask or pay attention to the purchases. She also taught her how to shop. So it wasn't if she didn't know how. She just preferred the casual semi-punk look. But that had to change now. She'd change the outfits, but the Converse weren't going anywhere. She loved her Converse and they were her trademark. She had 140 different pairs of converse in every imaginable style and color. Even had some winter boots, wool, leather, sparkly gold, ones with Marilyn Monroe's face, red white and blue, Camo, high-top, low top all black, ones that were more like modern skate or cross trainer shoe, than a classic converse, Different DC and Marvel Super Hero shoes, including Wonder Woman, and Bat man, floral designs, patterns, various leather in different colors, various boots, she had every color in classic. She didn't wear the Thunderbolt Modern often but it was her exercise Converse, made sturdier than other Converse Sneakers, it was modern sneaker. Converse was her shoe, her trade mark, and since they made winter boots, the only none-Converse shoes she owned were her very classic Blue since she hated Pink bunny slippers.

Lunch Lexie had with it seemed all the West Wing her dad had sent an Assistant to tell her to come to the West wing for lunch. She did. And all the senior Staff and their assistants were there she was wearing a T-Shirt but it wasn't one of her message T-Shirts. It was one of her Pop culture ones. A Bayside High School T-Shirt. She doubted anyone else would but maybe Donna and a few interns would get the reference. The interns got it so did Donna. So she was right. Ted her dad's body man got the reference also, and for some reason that completely surprised her, CJ got the reference but then CJ used to work in Hollywood and do PR, and had to know things like this. She did meet Peter Engel a few times when she was working in Hollywood, so she knew the basics, enough to know the shirt was probably the least problematic T-shirt of any she'd seen her wear.

After lunch she hung out in the West Wing and drew, while she sat by Donna's desk. She still couldn't believe Donna and Josh didn't know they were in love. Or maybe they did know and didn't want to risk the other finding out, and ruining each other's lives, careers and her father's presidency, she thought politics was really stupid sometimes. She drank her crystal light.

Another week passed her finals went surprisingly well. She did very well on them she thought. Elle couldn't grade them they had to be sent to Philadelphia and had to be graded by Eleanor Roosevelt. And then the results sent back. Which would take a week longer than if she flew to Philadelphia for a week and sat for the tests, meanwhile she had a meeting with Her Mom in the east wing. She also lost another 12 pounds making her 153 pounds.

"Alexandra, this is Jessica Cameron." The woman was about 32, 5'6, she had an Auburn Pixie cut. And was dressed in Black $900 fashion boots, Designer Italian Cut pants, and a casual Blue-Blouse to match her eyes. But she looked comfortable, and confident. And reminded her she didn't know how or why, of her Mother.

"Nice to meet you, Miss, Mrs." Cameron."

"Jess is fine, I'm your new Nanny."

"You were serious about the Nanny?"

"Alexandra you need looking after and the Secret service aren't nannies, and your father and I can't look after you 24/7, I'll be able to look after even less once the Summer comes, I took a few weeks off, and cut back my hours and my travel to get you settled, but I'll have to go back to traveling and more of my duties as the first lady." Her Mom looked sad.

"I know Mom. I guess you're right is she going to be checking for cuts and scratches."

"Yes, I am." Jess said. "I'm also, instead of the secret service going to be watching you when you shave you no longer need to be watched like a hawk 24/7. Don't abuse the privilege, because if you do, the agents will be back in force."

"I know, have the agents gotten back to you about me volunteering?" She asked hopefully.

"Yes, and there are few places they deemed secure enough for you to spend your time, but you're not volunteering until after the 4th of July."

"Okay what about the press?"

"We'll discuss it later."

"What about where I'm going to school?"

"We've decided on Standish."

"Why there?"

"You said you wouldn't go anywhere that didn't offer quality art and computer classes, your father isn't going to send you anywhere without a good academic record that will get you into top tier college, and the Secret Service isn't going to let go anywhere that doesn't pass their security requirement, that really only leaves Standish Academy."

"I guess that's it then." She said.

"If you weren't so adamant about the computer and art classes you'd have more options."

"I know what I want, why consider more options if they're not going to give you what you want."

"I suppose you have a point." She left to get ready they were leaving tonight for Zoey's ceremony, but they were leaving very late at night. And the Press was coming and so was CJ and the secret Service, and her agents, and Jess. The rest of the people she saw every day, Bex and Dr. Phelan and Ms. Devereux they wouldn't come. But Jess and her agents would come. She got to pack, she got to pack a lot of luggage. She got two big suitcases, the stewards and secret services and assistants all handled that. She knew which Converse to bring. Because her Mom talked at length at which outfits she would wear, it was the first time she would be appearing in public. And she helped her pick out which of her jewelry to wear because she refused to by new jewelry. She had given the information to CJ who took it in stride even if she thought she was trying to kill her. In Style wasn't going to be there, but when they took pictures the reporter would ask, about the shoes, and the jewelry since she didn't wear traditional shoes or Jewelry.

After disembarking from Air Force one they got in the cars, and drove to the farm, she was enthusiastically greeted first by Annie, and then by Zoey. She talked to Zoey who complimented her on her weight loss and hard work. And she complimented her on making Valedictorian. And then they left to Gossip Jess followed at a sedate pace. Jess had an extra suitcase fill with pink outfits and shoes to put her charge or threaten to put her in if she misbehaved her employer informed her it was the only threat besides physical exertion and extra etiquette lessons that really had any effect on her. There were other punishments they could give her but Abbey didn't want to spiral the girl into worse state, her depression was getting better, she was handling her life, well enough that she was self-harming or worse going to the other side of eating disorders start purging or actually starving herself. She'd seen it before in residency, People go from one extreme to another. It was one of the reason she wanted to Hire Jess, she was trained to spot those kinds of behaviors. And Having a MS in Social Work, was an accomplishment but doesn't pay the bills, unless you can get your Licensed Clinical Social Work credentials and get into private practice and hang up a shingle because most private councilors were Social Workers these days. Not all but most. Which Jess had the degree for, but the practical experience, and extra education and licensing? You need to get into a Social Work Program after your masters, and get experience, and take extra classes to get your LCSW, which Jess was very close to. She had it near completed, when life got in the way. That was 4 years ago. She's been a nanny since.

Zoey was in her room with her youngest sister, who looks a great deal better and the first time she saw her. She's not as heavy, or pale, she has no dark circles under her eyes, and she looks like she actually has muscles now. While before she looks like Mrs. Potato head in shape, now she had womanly curves. She still looks too heavy, but now she looks what people might call TV fat, instead of actually obese. Zoey talked to her Mom about it, her Mom didn't want her sister below 125 Pounds, and so once she got to that weight she would reintroduce certain foods to her diet slowly, and find an exercise regime that would tone her body and keep her heart healthy but would not allow her to lose more weight. She felt bad for her sister.

To grow up without love, or support, or boundaries. She knew as a kid she hated hearing the word no, but now that she thinks about it, she could have hurt herself far too many times if her parents had said yes to whatever idiotic scheme she had come up with. How many times had her sister done something stupid because there was no one there to tell her no. it probably why she has such more impulse control problems. She heard about the balcony incident. And all the times she's stopped herself from saying something she shouldn't have. Or all the times when she didn't stop herself. She been in the room when she's let various curse words slip. Liz almost had a hard attack, after that family breakfast when Annie asked her what Aunt Lexie was talking about.

At least she tried to censored herself when she told them all about her friend Maisy at least at thinly veiled as it was, but it probably would have better if she said nothing, or at least been a little more descriptive, so Liz wouldn't had to answer any questions of course if she hadn't at least tried to disguise what she was talking about she might have gotten in trouble. Not that she has gotten in real trouble since she's been here, Zoey thinks. Her mother seems to let her get away with an awful lot. Self-harm, and semi-suicidal balcony trips not-withstanding.

Zoe is almost positive her youngest sister can say almost anything and can get away with it, and her mother has given her carte blanche with a credit card, then again if she so much as makes a self-deprecating joke, she has people watching her go to the bathroom and shave her legs. And there has been stories for weeks about how no has seen her in person since just after she arrived. She hasn't left the White House, Zoey would know. Lexie has quickly become everyone's favorite Bartlett, and no one has met her person. All pictures of her pre-White House, when she was a Heavy-set Punk and her protesting a Book Burning and the fact that CJ told the press she struggles with her weight and is attempting to do something about it. Has made her very relatable to a lot of different groups. Not to mention she was just "The only daughter of a distant and slightly insane upper Middle class Single Mother in Philadelphia" One day, and "Youngest of four daughters to Loving supportive parents who happen to be the president and first lady" the next. She knows that was a direct quote from her sister, her sister speaks from the heart often enough but she doesn't always have that filter in your brain that says that's not a good idea to say something. She has it most of the time, she can censor herself a good 85% of the time, and 10% of the time whatever she didn't stop herself from saying isn't that bad, it's the other 5% of the time. Which is why CJ is not letting her get near the press until she learns to control her mouth if she's not being watched every second and reading prepared statement.

So here they are sitting in Zoey's bedroom just the two of them. Jess is somewhere else in the house, no doubt she would be very sorry she was not here to stop the mayhem her charge is about to unleash.

"Must be cool, being Valedictorian."

"I'm not really Valedictorian, I was Salutatorian then the Valedictorian was date-raped by the Captain of football team and pressed charges. I was suddenly Valedictorian to avoid a scandal."

"Shit, Mom and Dad know?"

"I don't know, probably, I mean they should. Dad would be told things like that."

"I don't think they know…..Dad might, but Mom would be too pissed to see straight."

"Yeah, probably."

"You have three choices you do nothing in which case you become part of the problem and are no better than the people who took her rightful valedictorian title away from her, tell either Mom or dad and they come up with a solution Which is probably your best bet, or turn your speech into a Fuck you hypocrites speech. Which is the One I think you should do, but I have Impulse control problems, and severe anger issues involving injustice and hypocrisy."

"I'm going to just go talk to Mom and CJ."

"Why CJ?"

"She really needs to be involved in this conversation."

Lexie followed her sister, who called for CJ and her mother and her father.. All four of them sat in a room at the farm. And Zoey told them what happened between her classmate, sometimes friend and sometimes rival, Hailey Simmons, and how she was Valedictorian until two days ago, when she was date-raped decided to press charges against the Quarter back of the School, and then Zoey became Valedictorian, and Hailey's case was dismissed because of lack of evidence, despite the fact that she fought back. CJ Sighed she had work to do. Jed would call the Attorney General of New Hampshire he did appoint the man, the Bartlett's would Boycott's the Ceremony they had no choice they couldn't condone this. They called in Sam he needed to prepare a Speech. This was what the Weekend and possibly the next week would be about now.

The Police Detective who investigated the Crime is in Hot water, IAD and the FBI are actually like sharks circling, so are the press. The School is being heavily criticized, the headmaster's resignation is imminent. Women's groups, are livid, a woman named Amy Gardiner who went to school with Josh is leading the charge. It takes them a week to get back to Washington. Hailey ends up with a full ride to Northeastern.


	6. Alexandra Bartlett Meets the press

**Sixth chapter.**

It is the second week in August her birthday was a week away and she'd been down to 135 pounds for a week, She was the high end of the healthy weight class but she was still healthy, she could eat a more varied diet but she still had to see the personal trainer, It would be her birthday soon. She got out of Gala on the 4th by not finding a dress that didn't make her look like whale stuffed into a dress too sizes too small, she got out of mid-summer banquet because she had got too nervous scratched herself on purpose, no one was happy with her, but there was a state Dinner with England the night before her birthday. She had to go the state dinner, and the next night was her party. She also had to do ten minutes with a reporter. Apparently then waited long enough, and the natives were getting restless. She volunteered. Her Dad hated the idea, he yelled for ranted for exactly 45 minutes, but it was set up. Danny Concanon was going to do interview, because he was the only reporter everyone trusted. She would do the interview a few days before the State dinner. She didn't want to do the state dinner but her Mom had bought her two dresses one was midnight blue and one was pink, and if she so much as stepped one toe out of line her state dinner dress was going to be pink. The pink dress would and could be used again she was sure. She loved her new body and because she was getting muscles and toning her body she didn't have the skin flab the people who rapidly lost weight had. Her body though curvy and still not like her sisters. All three of her sisters were slender model types, and her body type was not that. she had broader hips, and shoulders more womanly curves. She saw pictures of her father's mother, and even though she had her mother's face, and hair except for her father's eyes. She definitely had Mary Bartlett's Body. Although she was never overweight like she was. Just curvy. It was a Tuesday. She was in CJ's office she actually looked Professional except for the Purple chucks. She was wearing Purple Pinstripe dress pants, and lavender blouse. She looked like a slightly curvier, shorter Abbey Bartlett with Midnight blue eyes, Jess was behind her looking as fashionable as ever. And the Secret Service agents were around. CJ was one of the few who knew **_why_** the youngest first daughter mostly had female agents. And she wondered what it would be like to be in so much pain you would break your skin open. The emotional eating she understood she had done it a time or two herself.

"Hi, CJ."

"Thank you, for at least attempting to not look like a 15 year old girl trying to piss off daddy."

"I don't wear those shirts to piss off my dad CJ. I never did. No one that actually mattered to me ever cared enough what I wore. My don't wear the ones now that would piss him off, I respect him much too much for that, I went through all my shirts with my Mom and I just don't wear those ones. Before I came back, just wore them because I thought they were funny, and to get a rise out my teachers, now I wear them because of that face you make when your eyes pop out of head, and your brain plays out just how bad it could possibly be if a reporter took a picture of me in whatever shirt I happened to be wearing, and how you could possibly spin it." She said.

CJ rolls her eyes. "Glad to be of service. Did you have to wear the converse?"

"Converse is my trade mark CJ, Be glad they don't make Wedge Heels."

"I am very grateful." She said. "Have you picked up your Jewelry?"

"There's a jeweler here in DC, both gowns." CJ knew about the pink gown and the power of pink, she had learned after one day in July when Lexie had come to the west wing pouting in a Pink Power suit and matching Kitten heels, followed the next day by a Pink sweat pants, a Pink T-Shirt that says Awesome since 1983 in Black, and of course Pink converse. Everyone in the entire country now knew that when the Youngest Bartlett daughter was in Pink She was being punished. She wasn't sure how they found out, it wasn't like her Converse Obsession. Which everyone in her old School knew about and someone there had told but it had made it to just about every paper with a White House reporter, the second day she was on punishment, the day of the awesome shirt. And since she was in Pink for 10 days she had obviously truly pissed off someone. There was at least one Photo, from an official White house Spray Pool, of her with her father. In Pink Converse, Jeans, and a Pink Red Sox Jersey, pouting at him and him looking resigned. That she was pretty much stuck in the West Wing saw her father for five minute intervals throughout and the press took ample opportunities to get photos of the pair, even if they weren't allowed to talk to her. There was another photo of her eyes lit up, face glowing, hands moving, explaining something to her father, as he listened intently a look of pride on face, sitting at chairs across from each other in the oval. CJ remembered that day, the president had commandeered most of the staff on facts about William Penn and Pennsylvania on a Saturday, when for once they were done with their work by 1 pm, and might actually get to leave and have a life, when his daughter had gone off on a tangent about Hershey's chocolate. That was so much more interest…..well less boring anyway, and as soon as the pictures were made they did. That picture is actually the one Lexie that sits on his desk. He had her get Danny to call her photo editor for a copy since it was her paper that ran it immediately. They moved into the Mural room, they would be more comfortable there, and she couldn't accommodate her, Jess, Lexie and Grace Cabot. Carol knocked on the door.

"Danny is here."

"Bring him in."

"Please have a seat Danny, You didn't bring a Photographer you were cleared for one?"

"My Editor wanted to reuse the one from a few weeks ago, talking with the president."

"It's a good one Danny."

Lexie comes out, and extends her hand. "Thanks for coming, Mr. Concanon, Both my parents greatly respect and admire you, and I've read your articles you're a very good writer, who supports this administration as best he can while still doing the nobility of his job justice by questioning those in power."

He chuckled. "Thank you, that's best I put heard anyone in this administration describe my job. You might put Sam Seaborne out of a job one day."

"Maybe I think it would make my father very happy if one of his daughters followed in his footsteps, but I want to be an artist actually work computers and art, there are a lot of different careers one can go into when you meld those two fields together I'm keeping my options open but ideally I would be forensic artist. Giving murder victims back their faces, voice to the voiceless so that law enforcement can find their killers. While still being a visual artist, of course. I would never stop painting, and drawing…"

"I've seen some of the sketches and paintings you've done, CJ had released some of the sketches for publication." She had done literally thousands of sketches since coming to the White House and a few had been published strategically by CJ. They were all over the West Wing. In fact She had made so many of them over the next year four Books Coffee table books were being published. Sketches of the Nation's Capital was coming out in November, Sketches of National Monuments was coming out in January, the Bartlett Farm in March, and Sketches of National parks was coming out in May. The Sketches were already done and the publishers already had all 300 Sketches and the Books were assembled and everything the sketches and paintings Danny were talking about were mostly of her family and the white house staff. The one of Toby Mid-rant was particularly funny. CJ had told them if they truly wanted to limit exposure to Alexandra to the point that they plant 16 Agents, only making her attend 1/4 of the events while she was living in the White house. Having her go to Standish Which was the second Most Secure School in DC, second only to Norton and only truly paranoid people let their kids go there because their academic standards were far less than Standish. These people usually worked in the Pentagon or Langley. "You have a Series Coffee Table Books Coming Out."

"It's just of the Sketches I've done, it's not like my dad's book or anything…..Half the Proceeds are going to Rittenhouse Women's Health Clinic in Philadelphia because Dr. Dana Stowe had been My personal Physician for many years, and I know Dr. Luisa Delgado as well and it's their clinic in Philadelphia that serves Upper Crust and Middle class Women of Philadelphia and the working poor of South Philadelphia, I trust them both very much and their both wonderfully amazing dedicated doctors, and if Every doctor on this planet were as dedicated, intelligent and able to think outside the box as them and my Mom, AIDS and Cancer would be eradicated in My lifetime."

"You said Half, I was under the impression all Proceeds were going to charity."

"Yes, that's right the proceeds will be Split in half, the other half is going to Children first, an Organization that helps stop Neglect and Abuse, in the United States. When I was with Dorothy Loren Harris I was never Physically or Sexually abused but I was emotionally and Verbally abused and I was neglected. And those are the hardest types of abuse to prove. Children's first doesn't just help stop abuse, it provides counseling to teens, young adults, and grown adults who've experienced childhoods like mine, and don't know where to turn."

He knew He wasn't supposed to talk about Dorothy Harris, so he asked about her parents. "How do you feel now that you're back with your real parents?"

"It's a big difference before no one much cared what I did, I don't mean I was invisible in school, I mean if no one much cared what I did from day to day, if I wore inappropriate clothing, or weighed too much, or got horrible grades, or fights in school, or hurt myself rolling out of bed, not many people cared what I said or did, at least that's what I thought. I've come to realize through counseling that there were a lot more people in my corner back then I thought I was just too jaded to realize it. Now though not only do My parents and sisters and niece and brother in law care, but my God parents, and My parents staff and My Nanny, and my secret Service agents, and the press, and the Republicans and the American People. It was a big adjustment. And the first thing that happened when I got here was My mother deciding I needed to get on a healthier diet, start exercising and lose and a lot of weight. She was worried I was already in danger of type two diabetes, but heart disease, liver disease, infertility problems, certain cancers, back and knee problems, carpal tunnel, there is a much list that my mother rattled off when lectured me my second day here, but you get the point."

"And You have, how much have you lost?"

"Counting the 30 I lost before we discovered the kidnapping. 73 pounds, I've also gained Muscle tone, and the ability to tie my shoe laces with getting winded." She said humorously. "That last part was said jest. I could always tie my shoe laces, but I can run three miles in 32 minutes and 28 seconds, before it took me almost an hour to run half that much."

"That's really good. So you run every day?"

"On a treadmill, they set up a room for me, I also use free weights, 5 pounds, and working out on the heavy and speed bag, and sparring with my secret service agents. And 30 minutes of tai chi."

"Anything else helped you lose the weight?"

"Besides people watching my every move to make sure I didn't cheat on my diet, a drill instructor personal trainer, and a mother who just got me back after 11 and half years and was terrified of watching me die a slow and painful death from whatever disease being overweight would bring me first?" he nodded. "Yeah, A 12 step program for people with food issues similar to AA, I have a sponsor, I refuse to give you any more information because attraction rather than promotion is one of the traditions and leading the press to these people, would be against the Group's best interest, and they helped me more than I probably deserved."

"You go to meetings?"

"I go to phone meetings, I've never met my Sponsor in person they have a phone bank for that sort of thing. Danny please try to be as vague as possible when you write this up."

"I will." And he would he understood when she was coming from. He might not have been in AA, but he interviewed plenty of people who were.

"Do you have any more questions?"

"Do you wish you were never kidnapped?"

"Have you ever read Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll."

"No, so the Disney Movie."

"Me too, it was very good, but it wasn't as good as the book in my opinion, In Alice in Wonderland, at one point towards the end of the book after everything she's seen, Alice says. 'I can't go back to Yesterday I was a different Person then.' Three year old Alexandra Bartlett and the woman she would have become stopped existing the moment Dorothy Loren Harris took me, from what my parents She wanted to be a vet and have two dogs, and marry the Prince Charming from Sleeping Beauty and live on a farm just like the Bartlett farm, or maybe she wanted to keep the Bartlett farm I'm not too sure on that, I want to be a Forensic Artist, I honestly can't see myself trusting anyone enough to marry them, except possibly one person and I doubt he'll ever see me that way, and as for getting a dog, I still want one, but only if I can get one that was trained by the Military or law enforcement first, because I am honest with myself to know that dogs are hard work and I don't have the patience to deal with training a puppy or a dog that isn't well trained. And My dream home is definitely in the city."

"Danny your time is up."

"Thank you, Miss Bartlett, it's truly been a pleasure."

"Come on Danny, I'll walk you back to the Press room." Carol said.

"How'd I do?" She asked CJ.

"There are a couple things I wish you'd worded differently but you didn't say anything too bad, the press already knows you're in counseling, the Forensic Artist thing might become something. You implying all doctors aren't as smart, dedicated or innovated as the three you mentioned."

"They're not.'

"I know but you can't just say that."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. Politicians spend too much time on shit that not important."

"It's all important."

"No, it's not. It's important because someone with an ounce of power thinks it's important."

"This is America Lexie everyone has a voice."

"That doesn't mean people listen CJ. Remember that."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"People hear what they want to hear, and rarely understand what you mean, and that's if they're listening at all, most people don't listen to what other people say. To most people going about their day the other people around them are teacher in the Charlie brown cartoon. They just want to get what they want out any interaction they have, they don't care about the other person, in the least."

Having worked in both Los Angeles and Washington DC, CJ couldn't find fault in what she was saying but she knew there were people who weren't like that. "There are lot of people who aren't like that, I can name two dozen off the top my head right now. Most of them work in this White House, and a lot of them are in your family." Lexie smiled she knew CJ was right. "At least you didn't mention the reason you didn't go to the Independence day Gala.

Lexie cracked up. "I should have not fitting into clothes especially fancy clothes would have been a pertinent topic."

"But it would have pissed a lot people off, for a lot of different reasons including Women's groups as to why dress shops in the district don't cater to larger women. And Why the President didn't pop for a custom gown."

"I had four temper tantrums because I didn't want to be measured for a custom gown, eventually it became too late."

"I know, and that would just piss off family value conservatives as to why you weren't punished."

"Well, in a way I was, I wasn't let alone for a minute, my mother was terrified I was going to hurt myself or something, so I had two Agents with me at every second even while I was in the shower and in the bathroom, and they wouldn't trust me with a razor I had to use Nair. Which I never used before I found out I prefer."

"Lexie stop talking."

"Sure CJ."

"What are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"Summer Homework at Donna's desk."

"Then go do it please."

She went off to find Donna. Maybe Donna would talk with her while she worked. She liked Donna besides her Godmother Auntie L, as she started calling Mrs. Landingham, and her Dad, Donna was her favorite person, followed by Josh and then CJ. She still had a crush on Sam, but he wasn't in her favorite peoples list. And she was sensing a pattern, Hot, Smart, sensitive, liked to save people especially women, liberal democrat with a love and passion for left wing causes, moved people through their medium one through music, one through words, Peter checked those boxes too, God with horror even if they were only crushes that at least one of the crushee's didn't know about she had a type. Peter knew and he was very sweet about it, even helped her organize ideas for her sit-in Although both into right wing causes and politics, Peter was more a rebel protestor type, than an actual politician. Nice to know types can be flexible.


	7. Happy Birthday, Baby

**Chapter 6**

 **Again I don't own the West Wing, if I did. I probably wouldn't be living in a one bedroom and taking the bus everywhere, and writing West Wing fan fics, I also Would have created a better husband for Liz, I mean just because you _have_ to get married doesn't mean your marriage has to suck, or that your husband turns out to be cheating asshole. Or at least a better character. I've seen plenty of cheating husband because we married too young characters and for an Aaron Sorkin Character Doug Westin had surprisingly little Depth. I'm surprised Liz married him, let alone dated him. **

The state dinner went off with a Hitch, the Queen and Prince Philip were very nice, for an Old guy Prince Philip was very charming. Lexie thought. She had met numerous people that night, some were very nice, some were boring as hell, and some she found very interesting, she liked the Republican Senator from California, on the Finance committee. He reminded her of a friend of Father M's she'd met, only slightly saner, and not as liberal. When they got to talking she learned that Senator Arnold Vinick was the first cousin, of Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce they had the same Grandfather, John Pierce a Crabapple Cove Native, but while Pauline Pierce, the much younger sister, of Hawkeye's dad, Dr. Ben Pierce, his sister didn't stay in Crabapple cove and moved to New York City to be a community activist, when Hawkeye was young, met and married her husband and had a family. They moved to California town of San Paula to farm Oranges eventually. She liked him, and he found the girl charming. His wife was having a good day and came with him. Found her equally charming. The girl didn't make a single political argument all night, her few anecdotes which he was sure had to have been vetted by the press secretary were about her growing up raised by the Harris woman and hanging out with her friends, and the last few months in the West Wing, they were funny stories, but hardly earth shattering, nothing she said could be used against anyone they were rather typical childhood stories that everyone on the planet can easily pull up a dozen of at any given time. He could think of a just as many of his own childhood off the top of his head, but none at least half could possibly ruin his career, so he knows these were carefully chosen.

At 10 pm after making sure to give her father the dance he's been wanting, and waiting until her curfew, or the time at which her parents said she could escape, she makes her excuses and her and Lindsay and Susan her current Agents make it up to the residence. She hung up her gown, and put away her accessories, undid her hair, and pulled it back into a ponytail, and then washed off her makeup, and then got into a pair of cotton Sesame Street inspired pajamas Pants, and a T-shirt that says. **I'm actually disappointed they never told us how to get to Sesame Street.** It could be considered a set even though it isn't she always wears it together. She draws for a little bit, and writes a little bit but is tired and goes to sleep. She wakes up the next morning, at her usual six, showers, and get into her grey sweat pants, and a the words, Hail to the Chef and a picture of the Swedish Chef of the Muppets. She went to breakfast, Egg White Omelets as usual, but Rene made good Egg white Omelets, this time it was her favorite kind, Ham, and Cheddar, with Ketchup and a side of fruit. After breakfast she did her exercising, and got dressed for the day. The bright turquoise and blue party dress her mother had chosen for today, matching flower jewelry from her own collection, and matching barrettes, for her short pixie cut, and her signature Converse, Turquoise and Blue leather custom Converse of course. She looked very pretty, but not all like she did at her last birthday, her fake 15th birthday on April 1st. She was 70 pounds heavier, and looked like an angry punk reject, and she was angry, and jaded, and didn't trust anyone.

She looked back and she wondered how she even trusted her Mom and dad, even let them but there was something about them, something about the dark haired woman and blue eyed man's desperate need to hold her, when they met that said it all, no one had ever looked at her with such complete love and adoration, before, and it broke something inside her, she let herself be held, and even though she didn't cry. Lexis Maxwell didn't cry, and she was still Lexis Maxwell at that point, Alexandra Bartlett doesn't figure she became Alexandra Bartlett really and truly, until her Mom held her in her sleep on the plane ride home. Alexandra Bartlett does in fact cry, not often and getting her to cry, is like getting any Politician to willingly touch the third rail of politics and mention Social Security but does happen, and Lexie handles crying as well, as the public handles anything to do with those sneaky politician bastards taking away with benefits.

Her family was arriving at Noon, and her friends, Daniel who had arrived last night and was staying in Washington at his Cousin Ainsley's House he called last night, and said his Cousin Ainsley was pretty cool, and he would be there at 2, Maisy and Olivia were arriving at 1:15 from Philadelphia International Air Port into Reagan and would be picked up by the Secret Service they would be there probably around 2:30. She kept herself busy and did nothing to ruin her outfit until Noon, her parents were in meetings but would be done by the time her sisters, niece, and thankfully not "Bug" arrived. She didn't like Doug, she could tell there was something off about him she thought he might be cheating on her sister but she had no proof other than his eyes lingered on other women longer than they should even longer than normal guys but when she told Jess her suspicious she told her that it wasn't her place, she could ruin her sister's marriage and her relationship with her sister, and that his lingering glances was only proof was that he bit of a pervert with poor impulse control and obviously not gay not that he was a cheater. She knew that Jess was probably right.

Little did most of the Bartlett's know how Poor Doug Westin's Impulse Control was; he had been sleeping with anything willing, female and attractive, as long as he could get away with it for years. Both one night stands and long term affairs, he had a mistress once if you can call it that, Bella Atwood, but honoring her with the importance of a name like mistress when it was just an endless series of One night stands with the exact same person seems like a bit of a stretch. But unfortunately for Doug the 'mistress' Doug had through most of Jed's second term as Governor of New Hampshire until the Inauguration and was going through AA, and although she was only on step 3 Made a Decision to turn our will and Our Lives over to God as we understood him. And going through them slowly, at some point she would get to 8. Make a List of all people we have harmed and willing to make amends to them all. And then 9. Make direct Amends to them wherever Possible, except when doing so would possibly injure themselves or others. Now this woman was not malicious she would not go to the press, she just did really stupid thoughtless things when she was drinking, and she had spent most of life since 1991 as a functional alcoholic, but gotten inspiration from Alexandra's article written by Danny. If Danny hadn't written that Article she never would have tried an honest and real try at getting Sober. She'd been down the AA rode before, but they'd been feeble attempts at best. Then time was for real. The Irony of getting Sober because of an interview with her Lover's Sister-in-law would be pointed out by someone at some point but no one knew at this point in time. Doug was on to another Mistress again another someone with a low-self-image who makes poor life choices and doesn't mind being with a Married man in a seemingly endless sequence of what are really just meaningless, rough encounters in whatever minutes he get away from the family he never truly wanted and now is all too eager to forget about in the moments he can escape from them.

At 12:15, Lexie was in her room Listening to Cyndi Lauper's Girl's Just want to have Fun, and singing into her toy microphone because she had a toy microphone it was pink and she got it in a party favor goody bag from a birthday party when she was 7. The door opened and Ellie, and Zoey came in and they decided to join her. Ellie was a lot more fun then the press thought. They hugged.

"You look good." Ellie said. "I was really worried about you, before. Type 2 diabetes is really serious."

"I know I got that lecture almost daily from Mom." She said. She sat on the bed.

"Was it hard to call them Mom and dad." Zoey wanted to know.

"Not really, I always called Harris, Lydia, unless I wanted to annoy her than I called her Mother, and I never had a dad, and they were what I always wanted loving parents, you know when you don't have that, and then you get it it's really easy to start slip into the honorifics, At least it was for me."

"Are you excited for your friends to be coming?"

"Yeah, I mean I know the fact that and that we're always going to be friends, and that won't change, but all this does change a lot. They haven't have gone to the press with anything and they could have. It's been no comment from all of them all down the line, well except for Maisy's 'I don't sell out my friends, so fuck off bitch, She got grounded for that too. And Olivia, she really could have used what some of them offered. I knew they wouldn't sell out, CJ told me they might, but I know my friends, I knew the other kids at school would say all kinds of shit and they did. But I knew Maisy, Olivia, and Daniel would stick by me."

"It must be nice to have that." Zoey said.

"We've never had that." Ellie said. "We've always had to wonder what our friends wanted if they wanted something…"

"But you were loved, and you knew you were loved. So there were trade-offs. I knew I wasn't loved, she didn't even bother to pretend, most of the time, Until I met Daniel I don't think I'd ever been hugged, Daniel I met when I was four, and he was my lifeline until We were 12 and We met Maisy and Olivia, and Father M. He was the first adult I ever met who I let in, really in. I mean I let Dr. Stowe into a Point, but she didn't know about the extent of everything she knew I was to point Emotionally abused and probably neglected but Emotional abuse to a point is legal, and so neglect, and so difficult to prove, and I didn't give her anything she could use. But she did help to a point she used to ask me to help her out at the clinic since it was so new, and she knew I liked to volunteer, Her Partner Dr. Lu, is a real character, and the clinic secretary Lana is impossible to be in a be in bad mood around and Peter, is incredibly attractive, he's in a band, a nurse/midwife, and he was my first real crush. He's a lot like Sam in a lot of ways, he's got that Idealistic, I'll fight for who and what I believe in and save people thing, of course he's much more ruggedly handsome and he drives a motorcycle, and a lot of his causes are way more Left-wing, and I'm pretty such Sam's not part of a group who protests the use of Animals in medical labs…..but there's a lot of Similarities."

"And you have crushes on both of them" Zoey said.

"That obvious."

"Sam's oblivious, but most of the West Wing knows." She looks at her sister. "You're not embarrassed.

"I spent weeks, not being allowed to shower, shave my legs, or go to the bathroom alone because Mom thought I might hurt myself. I am embarrassment proof."

Ellie was worried. "How are you doing with that?"

"I am once again allowed to be by myself."

"Not what I meant."

"It's strange, I don't have urges to hurt myself anymore, I don't have urges to binge eat, all the food at the party and I'm real sorry for the normal people who can eat what they want is on my food plan."

"No cake?"

"Mom got an **_extra healthy_** and I do mean **_extra healthy_** carrot cake, she said I could have that." Lexie said.

"Great." Zoey said unhappily.

Ellie nudged her. "It's our sister's Birthday, our sister who we just got back after 11 years of abuse and neglect. She should be able to have cake and if this is the cake she can have deal with it."

Lexie smiled. "Thanks Ellie."

"Did Mom ever tell you why you were named Alexandra?"

"No, she didn't me figure it was relative or something."

"Alexandra Carter Barrington Wife of Captain Augustus Barrington, Privateer. She was not just your typical wife. The daughter of another Privateer Captain Hiram Carter It was said she was as much a pirate as her husband. And carried a flintlock Pistol, and a Stiletto with her at all times. She was his second command, something that is never talked about, because she went down in history as his wife, but she ran that ship with an Iron fist and no one disobeyed her."

"Sounds like Strong Women run in our family." Lexie said.

"They do." Ellie said. "Mom's great-grandmother as a Suffragette, and her Great-Great grandmother was an Abolitionist, and Mom is not the first female doctor in her family, one of her great Aunts was a doctor in the 1880s."

"Impressive."

"It is."

"You know I was wondering do either of you know what my middle name is?" Lexie wondered.

"Oh, Delores. They named you after Mrs. Landingham since they were always planning on making her your Godmother."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Dad would be so lost with her, she pretty much keeps him sane, and organized, Mom may have given him the strength the run for office, and the love, and the passion to reach for the stars, but he never could have gotten past assistant Economics Professor without Mrs. Landingham and Both Mom and Dad know it, Mom makes sure dad gives her Great Christmas, Birthday and Secretary day gifts every year." Ellie said.

Lexie. "When Mom laid down the law about the things I'm allowed to eat, she scoured the cookbooks and everything, and found Applesauce Raisin cookies and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Cookies that Mom will let me have, you know in moderation, and she always has them for me, but only me no one else is allowed to have them But dad, because he isn't allowed any other kinds of cookies…..."

"That sounds like Mrs. Landingham." Zoey said.

"I call her Auntie L."

"She's your Godmother you're allowed." Ellie said.

"I've got pretty close to her. I haven't gotten that close to Leo. But we do share a few what you call things. I had a something made for him, large coffee mug 15 oz. it says **Air Force Pilot, Attorney, Secretary of Labor, White House Chief of Staff, Father, Friend, Godfather,** and under that it says **Leo McGarry."**

"Why didn't you put Husband?" Zoey asked.

"Jenny's going to leave him eventually, She's been sick and tired of playing second fiddle before the presidency and one day there's going to be something it's not even going to be something important, it'll probably be something really small actually, it's just going to be the straw that breaks her back and she's going to leave." Lexie said. "It's going to happen and I don't want a keepsake from me to remind him of it."

"Who told you that?" Ellie asked.

"Mom."

"Ah."

"Are you two ready to sing?"

"Sing?" Zoey asked wide eyed.

"I insisted there be Karaoke at my party." The Party was going to be in the residence. There would be food the staffers had been ordered to show up. The family would be there. Her friends would be there. And apparently a Karaoke Machine. Lexie had considered Trivia Pursuit too but not wanting to consider either disaster if her youngest child and her husband either teamed up, or went against each other, she vetoed the possibility of Trivia Pursuit. Together they would slaughter everyone she knew enough History, and Literature as he did, but she also knew Sports, Pop Culture and Science. And against each other, it would be an epic battle that would no doubt be talked about by the Secret Service and at Bartlett family reunions in hushed whispers for generations to come.

A few hours later, the Party was just about to get Started the Staffers were beginning to arrive. Both the ones who were working today and the ones who weren't. Everyone was delighted to have been invited, and it as nice to see the president relaxed and in Jeans and what had become his favorite shirt. Proclaiming him an intellectual Badass. Annie was already on the Karaoke Machine Doing Part of your world, from the Little mermaid.

Her Daniel arrived with a pretty Blonde named Ainsley who couldn't believe she was allowed in the White House, let alone with one, even if it was the chaperon her young abused cousin. Who had made such strides. The President approached them both followed by a dark haired curvy young lady who ran at Daniel.

"Daniel!" She yelled and hugged him tightly.

"Lexie!" He hugged back. "I missed you so much You look amazing, that article in the Post was amazing, and the pictures have been great, how have you been," they went off by themselves.

"Miss Hayes, I'm Jed Bartlett, My wife should be here any second." The first lady appeared at his side. "Thank you for bringing Daniel she's really been worried about him."

She was very nervous but there was something she wanted to tell, the president since they'd picked up her badly beaten cousin from Philadelphia Social Services. "I'm the one who should be thanking you, Mister President what My cousin suffered at the hands of my so called Uncle was deplorable, I am grateful you were willing to reach out to my grandfather with a personal call despite your differences, so he could assert his familial rights." Ainsley said. What the president did was a very honorable thing. It was not an easy thing, or a politically savvy thing. To reach out beyond the party lines and let someone who was technically a very outspoken opponent know something he needed to know, but might choose to ignore if he was a different kind of man. It was a difficult thing, The President could have been accused of trying to muddy the waters or discredit her grandfather, he did it only for concern for her cousin and she's grateful.

"It was the right thing to Do, Miss Hayes, Daniel was a child in pain. And I could help him with a few well-placed calls. As a President I had no right to interfere with Social Services, and I didn't, but I didn't act as the President I acted as a father whose daughter was begging me to save her best friend's life, I couldn't leave him in the hands of his father. President Bartlett didn't make that call Jed Bartlett."

She smiled. "Thank you again Sir."

"Your Welcome, Miss Hayes. How he is doing?"

Steeling herself she spoke formally. "He is much better than he was Mister President, The Night terrors have stopped. He still flinches whenever he sees a larger man he doesn't know come to close to him, it helps that My grandparents are Strict Southern Baptists and do not drink I think when he learned there was no alcohol in their house, except cooking cherry he was very relieved. He joined the church himself. Especially since my grandparents' pastor was very understanding and accepting of the things he shared with him. He told me He felt a Belief and a Faith and God he's never felt before."

"I'm sure growing up with the father he did, Faith and Believe in God was a rare commodity." Abbey said.

"My Father was a Catholic but converted as an adult, because they seemed to hate all the same things he did." Daniel said. "And Ambitious Politically minded people need a religious background, and Christian Services are usually longer and they tend to care if you pay attention. Catholics are the McDonald's of Christianity, Catholics, you show up every week, most of the people in the church aren't paying attention, because each week it's the exactly same service at every single church all around the world, it lasts about 45 minutes to an hour, in and out, and most people aren't paying the least bit of attention to the service. At least according to my father." Jed was about to defend his almost profession. "But I know Father Mulcahy personally, I spent time with him, I was even an Alter Boy for a short time, I know how much preparation he put into his services each week, even if most of the Services was pretty much the same around the world, each Priest's interpretation is not."

"How are you Daniel?" Jed said.

"I'm fine Sir, Mister President."

"it's Mister president or Sir, You don't have to call me both."

"I'll try to remember that, sir. Lexie went off with Maisy and Olivia, it's a girl thing. They'll be back in about twenty minutes, Sir. How has Lexie been doing Sir, really been doing. I mean I know she lost a lot of weight, and has the coffee table books out, and is comfortable around you enough to get in trouble, but how is she? Is she lying when she says she's fine. Because if she needs me here, I am ask my grandfather if I can live with Ainsley."

This was news to Ainsley who looked shocked.

"She really is fine son. She lost enough weight that she's just maintaining now, she eats healthy and exercises every day. And she stopped hurting herself completely over a month ago. Though she is still checked twice a week, She gets along with every day, her family, the staff, the reporters, she's getting the hang of public life…..."

He lets out a sigh. "I was worried….."

"I'm Sure you were, Son I'm sure you were.

The songs were, the food was eaten, the presents were opened, and except for Maisy's vibrator all were appropriate and tasteful gifts. Olivia's was a photo of the four of them in 7th grade at some mandatory Eleanor Roosevelt Event, Daniel got her, a framed Photo of the two of them when they were 4 at Nursery school no doubt his Nanny took it. The rest of the gifts were nice, and most very expensive. She didn't know why anyone bothered she had everything she wanted.


	8. Last days of Summer First day of School

**Seventh Chapter**

It was the Middle of week, August 19. Josh and the Senior Staff were busy with Mary Marsh Who she had never met, but who she didn't like some of the things she said. She was one of the people who said things about Lu. She and her friends were mostly going to museums this week. And right now was the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Ainsley was our chaperone today. School wasn't that far away it Started on Wednesday September 2nd.

"Before the Declaration of independence, people just assumed you had the money, the influence, the stock troops to control a certain area you were destined by God to do so." Ainsley said. "But the original 13 Colonies were tired of being controlled and had been doing everything they could think of to stop from being controlled by who they felt was a tyrant, they each sent a representative to a delegation in Philadelphia."

The Youngest daughter continued. "Pledging their Life, their fortune, and their scared honor, it was a suicide pact. But they could no longer live under tyrant."

They continued to talk about the Declaration and then the constitution and then the Bill of rights and the amendments. The next day the Secret Service swarmed around her. She wasn't allowed to go out. her friends and her were stuck in the residence. Her mother who had a lot of very important things to do in the east Wing, but she there was something keeping her with her daughter. They watched Lexie's DVDs, talking throughout the movies, and eating plain unseasoned, unbuttered, unoiled popcorn, and Crystal light.

Friday Night, Josh went on TV and got into an argument with Christian fundamentalist Mary Marsh, Why they had him doing it, was beyond her. He was worse than Toby sometimes. She left A 12 oz 'You Wouldn't like me when I'm Angry,' Hulk Coffee Mug on Josh's Desk with a Bow. And a Note. To Cheer you up.

Meanwhile down stairs. Josh received his gift.

"Donna!" She came in the door.

"What the hell is this?" He looked at the mug with the saying and the drawing of the hulk he read the note.

"It was a gift from the first daughter, you set her a thank you note by the way, not that I think she will get it, she's in lockdown for some reason."

"Right."

Saturday Lexie's dad borrowed Leo's very expensive bike, and drove it into a free it was funny for a few seconds and then terrifying and then Funny again. He was brought to the hospital and then Lexie was on Lockdown again. Lexie still didn't know what was going on her guards increased or she seemed to have all them at once. She wasn't sure. Her Mom hadn't left her eyesight while she was awake since Wednesday and she was pretty sure she was watching her sleep too. She seriously needed to know what was going on. She knew her parents were fanatical about her safety compared to her sisters and that the Secret Service took all threat seriously and didn't humor her parents fervor about her safety, if they were doing this there was an actual reason. It wasn't her own doing because she'd been really good lately and they weren't following her in the bathroom, the threat had to come from out in the world. Someone made a threat against her. Now, she was panicking and she didn't know what to do or say.

"Mom, all the agents what's going on, what's happened?"

"There was a threat made against you, because of your funding to the Clinic, your father is taking care of it."

And he was the FBI, was looking for the people who personally made the threat and the Secret Service was closing ranks. She was a nervous wreck for days. She needed to talk a lot. They upped her therapy sessions with Dr. Phelan to every day, but she didn't binge, not that anyone would let her, and she didn't hurt herself, she came up with some very interesting sketches though, some of them she would like to see become paintings. She don't know what happened but the agents lessoned before her first day of School, which she was nervous for. She was lucky that Standish didn't have a uniform just a dress code, so as long as she wore something semi-professional, she could still wear her Converse. She chose purple because as good as she looked in blue, she looked fantastic in purple. She had registered for all her classes already two weeks ago. Today was the first day of School. Tracy and Grace would be there, Jess wouldn't one's Nanny couldn't come to school with them. She got up early, got in sweats, did her treadmill, and the rest of her routine showered, got dressed in Dark Purple pinstripe tailored pants, and a lightered tailored blouse, her trade mark flower necklace and jewel stud earrings, and her purple converse, she got a matching Purple Backpack to match her ensemble. Like the smaller Purples she had multiple school backpacks to match her outfits made by the same person. They were only too happy to help and they too changed from backpack to messenger bag. Apparently CJ didn't want her Secret Service name to be Owlet for some reason. She couldn't imagine why. Now she was Athena which makes sense, She was very intelligent and she basically burst forth from the mind of Josiah Bartlett fully formed.

She was dressed and ready. She was glad Standish didn't have uniforms except for gym. They did have a dress code. Students had to be dressed similarly to what you would wear in a professional office setting, her Converse were allowed and a few other things she preferred but basically it was business attire. It stopped kids from wearing Jeans and it stopped teen fashion shows, and you didn't have to wear a uniform which Lexie preferred which was another reason she was glad that Standish was the school they choose. Standish has always had this particular dress code. Standish has existed as School for the Washington Power Elite since before the Civil War it was established 1840, the first mention of a dress code in the school rules however is 1920. Before than it was just a De facto rule. Women have always been allowed to attend, even then it was a case by case basis, the full class to fully admit women wasn't until after 1920. Many Presidents children attended, especially the female children after 1920, although they still didn't have female faculty except the school nurse until sometime in the 1950s. After eating breakfast with her parents, She got in the limo they'd assigned for her. and headed to Standish it was a huge, set Square White Sandstone Building. That was one large square, on five floors, with a football field, baseball field, and track all three surrounded by bleachers, all surrounded by fences, guards, and cameras. The Secret Service were very happy she was attending here. They had their own highly trained dedicated security force, made up of former law enforcement and military personnel. The first day of School didn't actually have much do with learning. The first class was of course homeroom. Some Bitch name Eden Caulfield was making everyone after the teacher had everyone introduce themselves say what their parents do for a living. There were some kids in the private sector, some scholarship kids. Lexie narrowed her eyes, That Caulfield Bitch was going down. When they got to Lexie she said clearly.

"Well, My father is Currently President of the United States of America and My mother is Cardio-Thoracic Surgeon but is mostly working in the East Wing of the White House as the first Lady." She said. Halfway through the day. Eden and a Posse of Prissy Self-Obessed Mean girls, who couldn't possibly be for real. Approached her at Lunch.

"Lexie…."

"Yeah."

"You know with your father being the President, and you being Hot, and kind of fashionable dressed now, you could totally be part of the cool group now. You Need us and we need you….." She said.

"Look Eden not that I don't appreciate the offer, but I don't do Cool, and I especially don't become friends with people who admit to wanting to use me, for their popularity…..My friends may not be in DC, and I may look like this now, but I'm Still an outcast at heart, so I'm going to have to decline."

"You're going to regret that." She said hotly.

"I doubt that. Look High School ends eventually, and I'm not going to spend mine, pretending to be something I'm not." She said. "You seem like an Okay Person." Okay she was lying but she didn't want this to end in bloodshed "Cliques and popularity aren't all important to me, I just want to get ridiculously good grades, do my art, and get out of high school without too many major press incidents, or anything traumatic happening."

She snorted. "I get that, I don't think we'll ever be friends since I'm aiming for Prom Queen, but you get why I had to ask having you on my side could have solidified my power base."

"I get it."

"Try, Tori Monroe, and Drew Harper, they seem like your type of people."

"You seem different all the sudden…..no offense…..."

"Lexie." She said kindly. "I'm power hungry, and a control freak, not malicious I do what I do to gain power and rule the school, if it doesn't gain me power, there's no point. And getting you friends that can get you through the next three years, gets me a powerful Ally. And Once I realized you're not a threat to my power, there really was no point in going after you…..you might be mildly popular, you are the first daughter after all…..you're charming and likable, and a media darling, but you don't seek power, you seek to be left alone, Which means you'll be popular with the outcasts, and Geeks. I don't have an ally there, and I need one."

"I don't like bullies." She said conversationally.

"You want me to reduce the pressure we put on the Scholarship kids for not being the children of the right sort?" She asked.

"It's the kind of thing that could turn me from Ally to enemy." She said blandly.

"You know its not my tradition, I'm just a Sophomore, I'm the de facto leader for the popular Sophomores, but for that to change, you need to go higher up." She said thoughtfully.

"And Rome wasn't Built in a day."

"But it was Burned. Remember that." Eden said.

"Got it, which is Tori and Drew?" Eden smiled. And Pointed to a Girl in a Bright Magenta female Business Suit with a relatively Short Skirt, and Green accessories including the top, and kitten heals, but otherwise perfectly business like, drawing in a sketch book, and a Boy in old fashioned glasses in a three piece bespoke suit, the jacket on the back of his chair, his sleeves rolled up.

"Thanks."

"You're Welcome." Tracy, followed her closely once in the building she only needed one agent. She wasn't the only person with security either. She arrived with her lunch. The food at Standish was gourmet of course, but She had a bagged lunch, made for her by Rene that fulfilled all her dietetic requirements.

"Can I sit here?" She asked.

They stared for a minute, then the Boy Stood. Ever the gentleman and pulled out a chair for her. She sat down. "Of Course Miss Bartlett."

"Lexie please, it's bad enough when Staff at the White House, and the Agents call me that."

"I will not ruin a perfectly beautiful name like Alexandra, by shortening it Lexie, I will you Alexandra if you don't mind?" He said his eyes twinkling….."

"If you call me that I'm calling you Andrew."

"You that you could my given name really is Drew, I do wish My parents had named me Andrew and merely nicknamed me Drew, But I know why they didn't, and it was a good reason." He said smiling. "But You may call me Drew."

"I suppose you're Victoria, but Prefer Tori?" She asked.

"Victory actually, but Tori is fine." Tori said. "I was conceived on Victory Beach in New Zealand."

"Could have been worse." Lexie said with humor. "You could have been conceived on Bondi Beach in Australia."

"That is very true." Tori said with a laugh. "But I'm sure they would have named me Sydney if that was the case."

"One could only hope."

Drew smiled. "My father is Secretary of Veteran Affairs, and before he retired from the Marines, he was a Decorated JAG Officer, and Before the JAG corps, he was Marine Scout Sniper in Vietnam, and I was named for Robert Thomas Drew Jr., a 25 year old Corporal in the United States Marine Corps. Who saved my father's Life and died doing it. I'm actually proud to be named Drew means Courageous and it couldn't fit better from what I knew of Bobby Drew."

"Alexandra means Defender of Man, I was named for ancestor who was the wife of a privateer."

"Doesn't that mean pirate." Tori asked.

"Legal Pirate, I suppose." They finished their lunches talking amicably the agents got the kids names and numbers so they could be vetted. She got on with her classes. The only sport she would want to play would be Soft ball and that wasn't until spring. But she got information on the debate club, the Art club, the Knowledge Bowl Team, which is like a trivia game played against other schools. She couldn't do all three, or she could do two. She didn't want to do Debate club, I mean she sort of did, but she could just imagine how that would go. Some reporter would video tape her debates and then it would be on the Internet and then Is she the next Bartlett in the White House. So that leaves, Art Club, or Knowledge Bowl Team. Since she does Art anyway, She was leaning toward Knowledge Bowl team, but she had to discuss this with her parents and CJ. The day ended as first days of school always do. She was grateful there was no gym today, not that she would have dressed for it. In Art, they have Special coveralls, not just smocks you wear over your clothes, and the air conditioning is always cranked up in the art rooms. She went home, she spoke to CJ about which Club to join CJ said it was fine if she wanted to join either team, as long as she didn't join the School newspaper. She asked why CJ Said she could if she wanted to, but she would have to run everything she wrote first through Sam, and Toby, then through CJ, and then give it to her editor, she said she wasn't going to join the school newspaper but they had a School Literary Magazine that she might contribute too as anyone could submit something to the magazine, it came out Monthly. CJ thought that given her aims, that Knowledge Bowl, and Art Club with occasionally submitting work to the Magazine was her best bet. She nodded and that night her Mom said the same thing, Her dad too busy, She called her friends and she called Zoey. And Ellie. She called Liz but Liz didn't have time for more than a five minute conversation she worried about Liz.

Meanwhile the Secret Service vetted her friends. They already knew plenty about Drew since his father was Secretary of Veteran Affairs. Tori Monroe was the only daughter of a ridiculously wealthy Democrat named Hank Monroe Who Inherited an Aeronautics firm but then went ahead and innovated because of his Caltech education and made a lot of parts for the Air Force and Navy's planes, and his Wife British Born Dr. Sarah Knowles who was a very sought after Mathematician, and was currently working on something Which is basically the Math of how the brain functions and is very high level elegant math and should take until she's about 80 to prove. (Again I Stole from NUMB3RS but the Show and the characters don't exist) How they got a daughter like Tori baffles the Secret Service but then again Dr. Knowles's parents were West End actors, and Hank Monroe's Mother was actress herself and not unknown to make scandalous headlines before she married her husband. The president deals with Cuban refugees. CJ fields questions about the youngest Bartlett daughter's first day.

.


	9. School days and Military targets

**Eight Chapter**

Lexie's next few days of school, aren't as truly terrifying as her first, whatever threat was going on has been neutralized. She liked the art club, her dad was thrilled about the knowledge bowl thing. School in Washington is in some ways better than School in Philly, the mean girls aren't so mean or well they were possibly just better at hiding it, and they weren't as mean to her, but unlike her old school none of the popular mean girls were stupid and their every move had to be carefully considered, and being unnecessarily cruel to people at Standish rarely happened because even though only 45% of the students came from Political families, they were all wealthy families, if they weren't politicians their parents were judges, college Professors, lawyers, doctors, scientists and all wealthy except for the scholarship kids tuition here wasn't cheap and most were high flyers, living in DC once you get to a certain level, it doesn't matter what your job is, it's all political and it touches your entire family so pretty much all them were all were taught not to say or do stupid shit especially stupid shit that will make you look like an elitist bullying asshole by public if the media finds out. So there is bullying, but the kind of cruel comments, and downright physical assaults that happened at her old school didn't happen at this school. to be Honest, people just stuck with their cliques and unless they were in an extra-curricular or a team and then they interacted and were friendly with the people in their club or team as well as the people in their clique, she liked most of the people on the knowledge bowl team Most were ultra-competitive trivia loving geeks, or resume-padders. They had a few of those on the team, people who join as any teams or clubs as possible so they can get into a good college, that's actually counter-productive, a college counselor told her once aside from good grades, they actually look for students who have a handful of interests that they stuck with and worked long and hard at, not people who dabbled at a million things, She also said Student Government was one of the things they looked for, but there was no fucking way she was running for student government. The Press would have a field day. If she lost it would be bad enough, but the news cycle would die eventually, but if she won, Every time the student Council met it would be blood in the water to those sharks. Speaking of Sharks Ollie is looking at her again. Ollie Dresden is without a doubt a geek's geek. His father is very, very wealthy Corporate Lawyer, and he is without a doubt ten kinds of creepy, he has a huge crush on her, and has tried to flirt with her every chance he's gotten. Try being the operative word. He has no game.

She feels bad about Ted Miller, her dad's Body man, he had to leave the White House his dad died, and the family farm became his. A farm that had been in the family since before the American Revolution she supposes it was his choice, he could have sold it, he looked so despondent when he left. As if a life and a responsibility, and a duty he didn't want was being forced on him, instead of the life and the responsibility, the duty he wanted.

She hates getting up so ridiculously early so she can exercise, and she doesn't like her new phone meetings for OA, but she's adjusting. She likes her classes they're all challenging but not too hard for her, there is a healthy dollop of both her parents in her and she likes to be challenged she wasn't as challenged at her old school, but life was challenging enough. So she supposes it evens out.

Her Second Week of School, She learns Dorothy Loren Harris' trial starts November 30th, in the federal Court of New Warren B. Rudman US Court House in Concord, She was to testify but she didn't have to be there through the whole trial the Associate White House Council, a man named Matthew Sterling. **(** Hah a Name I stole from NUMBRS who was an dead Hippie attorney from the early 1970s accused of crimes he didn't commit **)** who looked like a real live version of Clark Kent, was supposed to be there during the trial, as was one of CJs aides. They told me this, Lexie still wasn't sure what to think she still thought it was a bad thing. She had her first Knowledge Bowl meet fairly soon and her team was practicing. Luckily it was only locally, unless they got to participate in and won the DC-Metro Area Knowledge Bowl Challenge around Christmas. Then they got go out of out of state, and participate on a national level, the Nationals are in June each year, She's pretty sure the Secret Service is hoping she doesn't win in December but Nationals are always in DC one year it was at Ford's theatre. And She's pretty sure if her Team makes it that far her dad is going to volunteer to be the host. She's not really sure why the Secret Service agreed to let be on Knowledge Bowl to begin with but they did.

On her third week of School. the Week of the 14th She has finally settled into some kind of routine that works for her. She and her new friends, have settled into a true friendship, or at least an acquaintance, her Mom has been ultra-busy lately. She's been slipping into her office in the East wing and leaving her sketches. Her Mom still tucks her in every night she's home and so does her dad when he can. They didn't have her for 11 and half years, she knows they need to do this. Jess still checks her twice a week for scratches though. But that's about it. they don't hover in her room, or in the bathroom. Jess wakes her up in the morning, at 5. And makes sure she does her homework, and has her clothes picked out for the next day, She still sees Elle, after school and she helps her organize her homework. Lexie has a brilliant creative mind, but organized she is not. She also has some of the worst handwriting Elle has ever seen worse handwriting unless she asks her to do it with a fountain pen, if Lexie writes with a fountain pen her handwriting is beautiful well written easy to read old fashioned almost calligraphy. Elle has her do whatever homework isn't math, or to be done on a computer with a fountain pen.

A few days into the week her father had some kind of disagreement or fight with the Vice president during a cabinet meeting, which is just what everybody needs. One of her enemies from her last school, got a book deal, and they're doing a rush publishing it will basically be nothing but rumors and lies. But there is nothing they can do about it. CJ tries to spin it. And when she does making it look nothing more like advanced School yard Bullying in Book form. Which is yet another thing CJ has to spin Meanwhile Toby is dealing with Sam and his indiscretion with a call girl. Which Lexie knows about, because Mallory told Zoey and Zoey told Lexie. But Lexie as much as she likes Chess and Go, is a Poker player at heart and is never going to show what cards she's holding, let alone the Ace up her sleeve. Lexie's father bonds with a young Navy officer who's filling in for his own doctor, and makes him his personal physician. Soon Her father and the rest of the white House learns the Navy officer and 57 other Americans were killed when a plane carry him to teaching hospital in Jordan was shot out of the sky by the order of the Syrian defense Ministry.

The next few days for Lexie and the rest of the White House are crazy. Her dad is acting like well, like a possessed jackass on crazy sauce is how she puts it to her Godfather. He didn't disagree but seeing as how Her father was the president he couldn't go around saying things like that about him.

"Lexie he liked Captain Tolliver, he had a ten day old baby at home."

"Yeah, Well I'm getting Lydia style flash backs to her jacked up crazy so, if you can't rein him in I'm not going near him."

Leo tells her father this and his reins him in much quicker. He doesn't want his child to compare him to her Kidnapper. Josh interviews a special 20 year old kid, who he thinks would be perfect for the job as the Presidents Body man Which has been open for weeks, since the last one, was diagnosed with Leukemia. CJ finds out about the Call girl, Toby goes slightly insane over a comment made by Conservative Democrat Congressman from South Carolina Bertram Coles. And her dad orders the joint chiefs to attack four high grade military targets, and then he addresses the American people. After televised address, her father finds her, she's standing with his staff. She'd watched the whole thing. And they go back up to the residence.

"I didn't mean to scare you." He said.

"You didn't care me exactly….."

"But I reminded you of how Dorothy Harris used to behave."

"You were pretty off the wall, Dad.."

"I never want to remind you of her Alexandra….and I never want to scare you."

"The only time you scared me was when I'd just met you and I was thinking Holy crap that's the president."

He chuckled. "fairly common reaction, Alexandra, Lexie…Sweetheart…..My father was not a nice man, and he didn't like me particularly much."

"He abused you." She stated not asked.

"Mostly verbally and emotionally, but he could get physical, yes, he was a cold sexist egotistical man who hated to be proved wrong, and couldn't stand that I was smarter than him." Jed Bartlett said.

"And You're warm, you fully support your wife and your four daughters no matter their endeavors, you like smart people who disagree with you, and if one of your children is smarter than you, you'd be proud not bitter."

"I'm pretty sure they are smarter than me, and I am proud of all four of my children, and grateful every day." Her father said.

Lexie was completely plugged into the goings on and around the West Wing and the East Wing for that matter, She had her Auntie L, Charlie, Margaret, Donna, Kathy, Ginger and Carol not to mention a good many of the Stewards, Interns, and junior deputies and Junior Assistants. And she knew all their direct extensions, instead of going through the White House operator. Of course she tended to drop by in person if she wanted information. They wouldn't give her national secrets of course they were too patriotic for that, and they liked not being in federal prison but the general things that happened in the White house day to day, she knew about. So she knew when the White House needed five votes to get a gun bill to pass. She knew about the financial disclosures and the technology stock that Toby made money on because his friend testified. And she knew her father was High as a Kite because he took two very potent medications instead of one. Her father the Nobel prize winner wasn't allowed to take his own medications anymore people had to package doses for him to take like they do for mental patients. He kept talking about getting a dog throughout his drug intoxicated state. Lexie thought it was a great idea she always wanted a dog. Of course Jed Bartlett doesn't usually care for dogs. But he wants to make her happy when he recovers and remembers her interview talked with Abbey and then asks the Secret Service if there's an affectionate, Protective, Law Enforcement or Military Trained Dog he can get his daughter. Ron said it is possible, not all Guard, Search and Rescue, Bomb Sniffing, or Drug enforcement Dogs make it all the way through training.

Meanwhile its her first Knowledge Bowl meet, against Benjamin Franklin Prep, She hopes not all the meets will be against snotty rich kids. Her Dad can't come but her Mom is there, and so is Auntie L and Mallory. She knew he probably wouldn't be able to come but then she noticed Ed and Larry there with cameras filming. She's sitting next to Ollie, but he's very restrained and hasn't hit on her once, he eyes Tracy who is standing just beyond the stage. Oh great she things. Now I have my Secret Service threatening people, not that I want him hitting on me every five minutes, but I don't want the Secret Service threatening people for me either. She thinks. The Knowledge bowl meet lasts three hours she wins. She isn't allowed to go out with the team afterward. She doesn't feel too broken up, since no one else goes either. She does feel kind Bad for Ollie looks a little dejected but she doesn't want to sit in a pizza place at 7:30 at night with him, or the rest of her teammates the only one on her team she would voluntarily spend her free time with away from knowledge Bowl is Tess Granville but Tess Granville is a Resume Padder with A-type personality overachieving status conscious parents whose in her junior year and hardly has time to sleep, let alone do all the things her parents put on that master list of things that will get her into an Ivy League School. Lexie surprised she hasn't rebelled or had a stroke yet. She wished there was some way she could help her, but there really isn't. But short of getting her an internship at the white house this summer, and while she doesn't have that kind of power, not since Ms. DiLagaurdia was fired she does have some influence and she could get the ball rolling and make sure she applies and get the application seen by the right people. It would also ensure she only had to do one thing this summer instead of 14 different projects because interning at the White House was such a big undertaking her parents would go easier on her. She hoped. Now back to glaring at Tracy for whatever he said or did to Ollie, they walk to the car. Meeting up with her Mom.

"What did you say to Ollie?" She asked.

"I just made it known that what he was doing could be considered harassment as it was unwanted and persistent attention that the Secret Service took threats against those we were sworn to protect seriously, and that her father was the Commander in Chief of the best armed, Best trained, fighting force in the world."

"Well done, Agent Di Angelo." My Mother said.


	10. Dogs, Cheese and Boys

**Chapter Nine**

 **As usual I don't own anyone the West Wing or the other shows I mention, I own My OCs. And twists in the Plot I bring to my version of the Show.**

 **(To the Reviewer who suggested that Agent Tracy would be an excellent big brother, is Agent Tracy Di Angelo, and she is Women. Most if not all of the Agents on Lexie's team are women because early in her relationship with needing agents. She would self-harm and needed to be watched even when showering, and Jed Bartlett is an overprotective father.) Also in case anyone is Wondering this is solely the Big block of Cheese episode.**

Ron was able to procure a dog for Lexie. A Dutch shepherd, an affectionate, Protective, veteran of the United States Armed Services who was trained as a guard dog and a scout, Which was of the reasons this particular dog was chosen as well as the fact that she was very affectionate. His name is Max. Max was darker than Most German Shepherd and his eyes more expressive but otherwise looked like every other German shepherd. She had the thick Brown Leather Color with a Name plate, and a Dog license, a harness, so not to hurt his neck, and a lead. The press was out in full force wrangled by CJ with Lexie and Max. , The President and the First Lady, General Thomas Danielson, Sergeant Victor Greenleaf, and Master Sergeant Gregory McKenna of the US Army. Zoey declined to be photographed since it wasn't her dog and the press hadn't asked about her yet she didn't want to tempt fate. Master Sergeant was also Photographing teaching Lexie how to handle Max as well. And Max giving Lexie a kiss.

"I want to thank you for all coming to meet the newest Member of the family, and I want to thank, Major General Thomas Danielson of 82nd Airborne for making this happen."

"Mister President where did you get the Dog?"

CJ pointed "Katie…..then Mark….."

"Max, is a retired US Army Corporal who used as a guard and a Scout in Afghanistan he was wounded in the Line one month ago, saving his handlers Sgt. Victor Greenleaf Life, he was wounded but was able to be saved, and his handler's family cannot take care of him, newborn twins and his new dog partner, he was chosen from amongst two dozen candidates Amongst Law Enforcement and Military trained Dogs, and he was the only one of the few there were two others served the others were all trained didn't go into the Military or Law Enforcement and since there's a large waiting list get these Dogs will go to loving homes immediately."

"Mister President why was this dog chosen….."

"Well, besides being protective, affectionate and well trained, he seems to recognize and respect his Commander and Chief." They chuckle. "he doesn't have a problem with crowds or flashbulbs, he also bonded with my daughter…..My daughter has already fallen head over heels in love with him."

The reporters took pictures as Lexie played catch with her dog for the better part of an hour and the Commander in chief was coaxed to play as well. later in the week Lexie was volunteering, finally.

Lexie was volunteering once a week, finally in her opinion in a Community center, in a less that upscale area of DC. Reading to the children there, and doing whatever else needs to be doing. Tess is there and it's nice spending time with the funny sweet older girl. Her Mom picks her up, and comes into the center 10 minutes early. Much to the Secret Service's chagrin. Her Agent Mike is used to the Bartlett women's antics though. Dr. Bartlett talked to the Director, a young local named Charlene Roth, who attended St. Cecelia on a School Voucher, and Georgetown on Scholarship. Who chose to give back to her community instead of going into the private sector, and the first lady asked if there was anything she could do to help, the woman came right out and asked if she ever volunteered her services as a doctor, no rarely asked to use her services as a doctor, and Abbey Bartlett laughed and agreed to help. Her Mom met Tess and on the ride home. Lexie decided to ask.

"What do you think of Tess?" Lexie asked her mother.

"Your friend from the knowledge Bowl team? She seems High strung."

"it's not her fault, her parents are making her do every possible extra-curricular activity to get into an ivy league school She didn't ask or anything this is me my idea, but I want to help You think we can get her a white house internship this summer and maybe get her a recommendation or two we know some ivy league people right? She's my friend and I'm seriously worried about her health and sanity. If her parents don't lay off. She's a nice sweet girl who doesn't ask anything of anybody, but everyone knows they can ask things of her, to volunteer this, or chair that, or run this and she'll do it, because her parents will make her anyway. Isn't this some kind of abuse?"

"It could be considered a form of child abuse, but it's a socially acceptable kind, 'they're not doing anything wrong just helping her get into a good school.'"

"I've talked to college counselors and at Ivy League Schools, College Applications like that are a dime a dozen you want to stand out, instead of doing 900 million things and just being okay at them, you pick a handful of things and you work hard, stick with them and excel at them, Get Good grades, Volunteer and try your hand at student government I'm doing all that but student government because if I do Student government win or lose the Press will swarm like Locust, if I lose it will end, but after a week or two, but If I win, I'll be expected to keep running, and every student council will attract them like moth to a flame."

"You're not wrong that's why Liz is the only one of the girls who ran for student government We can get her some recommendations but I'd ask her before we get her the internship, sweetheart, she may not want that kind of pressure. Getting one from your father or Leo may look like politics, but getting one from Sam, Josh, or CJ, will look good to any Dean. What do her parents do?"

"Her Mom is a Lawyer, Contract Law, she went to Harvard and then Columbia her dad is a doctor….He's a Civilian Expert in the Branch of Orthopedic surgery that deals with Amputations, prosthetics and the occasionally the rebuilding of bones."

"Arthur Granville, has gone some spectacular work there." Her Mother said "But rebuilding Bones instead of just replacing them is still such a new field, it's so rarely done, and there have been very few successes."

Her Mother spent the rest of the ride talking about the early successes of rebuilding bones. Sometimes her parents were a lot alike.

Liz Bartlett Westin was not stupid, she knew Doug had never loved her the way, a husband should the way her father loved her mother. She had ignored the signs until now, but for some reason now she couldn't she was 8 months pregnant, she has a 12 year old daughter, her 15 year old sister had been returned her slightly maltreated but strong, and very opinionated, She had been polite well as polite as she could manage but she didn't like Doug, and Doug held no love for her either. She finally confronted Doug about some things and learned he was cheating. She took Annie She called her Mother, and went to the farm. Her Mother went to meet her.

Meanwhile it is time for the Leo's Big Block of Cheese Day's. Where the white House Opens its doors to people who ordinary they wouldn't and the Staff of West wing gives them some time and listens to them, and Lexie's Parent-Teacher Open House is happening coming up. So the President is arguing with the people who organize his schedule and the Secret Service that he be given the evening off so he can attend. Or at least he was yesterday when Lexie went to sleep. Lexie's Open House consisted of, parents going to classes instead of students, and instead of during the day at night, and the classes are twenty minutes long instead of fifty, but that was a week away. In the Meantime. The Staff dealt with crazies of Every variety and Josh felt guilty because he got a nuclear attack get out jail free card and his friends didn't. and her dad pretty much orders everyone to have his chili, which needs some serious spicing up by the first daughters. Lexie introducers Charlie to her sister Zoey and sparks fly.

Up in Manchester Abbey Bartlett counsels her oldest daughter. "I told you before you married him I'd rather you be a happy lousy catholic then a miserable good catholic."

"Mom when I confronted him He said he cared about me, but he never loved me, and that they'll always be other women. I can't stay married to him…..but the White House….."

"Screw the White House Liz. Lizzie right Politicians Spend too much time on things real people don't give a damn about. Besides do you think for one single minute your father would want you to stay with a husband who is cheating on you and making you miserable, even if it cost him the White House Liz, You know him better than that."

The News broke, when Liz was seen at an attorney's office. Doug's latest Mistress went to the press. The Christian right is talking about how she stick by her husband no matter what, Women's groups are fighting them on it. the White House is staying the hell out of not commenting. It was a Late Night talk show host that said it best. "Hell, he was cheating on her left, right and center I wouldn't stay with him…..and I think God cares a lot less about divorce than he does about fidelity, honesty, and honor."

The President and First lady were able to go the open House at Standish Academy. They met with her teachers, and got her grades, and being Standish teachers they gushed a lot less, than normal teachers except the Math teacher who was a lot more excited about meeting Bartlett the economist then President Bartlett and had a copy of his Book for the man to sign. Which he did amusedly. It actually made his night. There was some press when they left, but everything was fine otherwise. The next day, it was a Saturday and he was wearing his Intellectual Badass Shirt. And walking around like a peacock.

"What is going on with Dad today?" Zoey asked.

"Your sister's math teacher asked him to sign a copy of his book." Their mother said.

Zoey laughed. "That would do it."

"Zoey can I talk to you after breakfast….." Lexie said. "You can help me walk Max."

"Sure Lex." Zoey and Lexie. And Tracy went for a walk with Max. "what's up?"

"There's this Boy on My Knowledge bowl team, who's Also on the Franklin the Political Opinions Newsletter, and the Debate team, he's a fiercely liberal democrat, who plans to be a lawyer, and a Politician he's an Idealist…With Intense piercing Green Hazel eyes, and Honey blonde hair."

"SO he's hot."

"Pretty Hot, He's on the track team too, he runs….."

"So you like him?"

"I've never liked a boy my own age before, and the only boy my own age, who showed an interest was Ollie Dresden and that was just…No….no the 10 Power."

"What's his name?"

"Jack Tucker, I don't know much about his personal life."

The Next day. In the oval office. "Well?"

"John William "Jack" Tucker, Born April 20th, 1983, to Robert John Tucker and Sarah McElroy. Robert "Butch" Tucker is a FBI agent sniper instructor at the FBI Academy, and was once, a Marine Scout Sniper, and Sarah McElroy is a former profiler with the BAU and current head of the Crimes against Children Office in the Washington field office he lives with his mother. He's on partial scholarship and his parents pay only 65% of his tuition and fees. He gets good grades currently maintaining a 4.1 GPA, he is on Knowledge Bowl, Debate Team, Track Team, and contributes but is not on the staff at the Franklin Political Opinion Newsletter his political writings puts him at Liberal Democrat and seems to greatly admire you Sir, He is currently a sophomore."

"Jed, this is ridiculous she hasn't even approached him, he doesn't even know she likes him." Abbey added her two cents into the conversation.

"Never hurts to be prepared." Meanwhile that Monday, Lexie wasn't prepared when her friend Drew asked her out for Saturday.

"Drew I'd love to, but I can't just go out on a Saturday, I mean yes I'll go out with you, at some point, provided my parents say yes, and the Secret Service say you're not secretly a terrorist, But Everything has to be run by my parents, the Secret Services, the Press Office…..You still want to go?"

He smiled. "Yes, I do, I like you Lexie, I've liked you this whole time."


	11. Sick day

**Chapter Eleven**

 **I do not own the West Wing or any of the other shows I use in My Version of the West Wing Verse. I Own Lexie and My OCs, and the Plot Twists that my Personal vision of the West Wing is taking. In My fantasy world in which I owned these should I could obviously control whether or not actors left, and major plot devices I don't like. So there would be major differences. But I'll try not to mess with the West Wing too much but Doug was a prick and had to go. I'm not sure whether or not to kill him off or just ruin him. Liz will find love again and it will be a crossover.**

As Usual, Lexie Knows exactly what's going on in the West Wing there's a commerce Bill and three Senators are going to hold it up because of a debate on whether sampling opposed to traditional Polling. The Article was Arcane, but the question was whether or not it was actually Law. She wasn't too clear on that and she didn't actually care. She knew it was great importance, or would be one day, until they made the decision it actually wasn't in her opinion, but the truth was she didn't care. It was an argument that wasn't going to be solved without a Supreme Court Decision, and until that happened she had so many other things to worry about. Dorothy Loren Harris' trial was coming up, and she was getting trial prep starting this week, she had three tests to take this week, a Knowledge Bowl Meet next week, Drew and her were hanging out in School, but not out of it yet. He joined Knowledge bowl so he could spend more time with her, She didn't have high hopes for the Team getting past December. John Marshall High School, which is a Charter Public School for Overachievers in DC and is mostly equally Black and White each making up 35% of the student Population with other minorities making up the rest. Is the most Likely to Win the DC Metro Area Championship in December, Of the team every one of them is an overachieving Type A personality, every one of them is from a Low Income, or Lower middle class family, so they need the national win on their college applications a lot more than any of the other schools. Lexie may not be trained in it other than what she learned from what She asked Tracy who is trained in it, but she knows how to profile. She's a natural.

She could tell the White House Staffers going to a bar in Georgetown with the 19 year old first daughter is a bad idea, but she doesn't. She isn't wrong Zoey is accosted by drunk drug addicts when the Secret Service agents searched them they each had enough cocaine on them for intent to distribute. She finally has permission to hang out with Drew, it's actually in the West Wing, and they're only Watching a Movie, While Grace is in the room. and Drew's mother is with her Mother. But she doesn't give a damn. It's a date. They watch Grease, and Drew mentioned how much She and her Mom look like Rizzo, and how beautiful she is. They sing along to the songs, and eat diet Popcorn but Mother allows the kind made for dieters that's lightly buttered and salted. And She allows Diet Hansen's Soda. She has Ginger Ale, and her Date, she can't believe she's on her first date. Has Black Cherry. (I have no idea if Hansen's existed back then pretend it did if it didn't) they weren't allowed much more time than the length of the Movie but he goes give her a good night peck on the lips. it's a sweet chaste kiss, and much less than he wanted to give but the Secret Service still makes him Nervous.

While the Kids were One of Living rooms in the Residence watching Grease, and talking under Grace's watchful Eye. Drew's Mother, Dr. Sarah Knowles, and Dr. Abbey Bartlett were drinking Tea, and Abbey was trying to get Sarah to call her well Abbey. They knew each other had for several years.

"Sarah, You've known me for thirty years, I knew you before you got married when you were studying in London and Jed and I were first married and he was at the London school of Economics you think I could get you to call me Abbey….."

"It seems disrespectful….." Her Northern English Accent schooled away long ago.

"Sarah, please…."

"Oh, Very Well. I still can't believe It's been thirty years, President Bartlett and You were in your early twenties just starting out, I was Alexandra and Drew's age Studying Mathematics under the Mathematician Samuel Pritchard in London you two were very good to me, I was so far from home. We weren't wealthy people, my parents' had sunk every extra shilling they had to send me to University, My older brothers too….."

"It Worked you're one of the Most respected female Mathematicians in the World."

"I never felt love, until I met David. I had lovers of course, but I was the Mathematician on a Defense Contractor Case for the Navy fire Suppression systems they were putting on Submarines and on Air craft carriers in 1981, I knew the Numbers didn't add up, and Sailors were going to get killed, so I called NIS, it was hug scandal, of course, he was the this wet behind the ears Marine Captain that just passed the bar, and it was his job to basically hold my hand and get my testimony straight we fell in love. We were married a few months after the trial ended and 11 months later was Drew."

"I always wondered how you two ended up together. You know Jed didn't appoint David because of your relationship with us."

"I didn't think he did. He needed a republican on the cabinet that wouldn't offend the Democrats. David is a Moderate Republican who served with distinction as a Marine Scout Sniper, JAG Officer, and Head of JAG legal Services San Diego before retiring from the Military due to injuries sustained in a car accident last year, And President Bartlett actually gets along with him, he would serve his post honorably and serve at the pleasure of the president and would fight for the veterans that he's supposed to be representing." Sarah said with a smile.

Abbey smiled. "That he would." The Night ends with Zoey getting a lecture. And Lexie having a conference call with Daniel, Maisy and Olivia about Drew. A few days later Liz files for divorce and it's all the press can talk about. Liz, and Annie have moved permanently to the Bartlett farm. Abbey goes for a few days to help them get settled for the Indonesian State Dinner. Lexie hates State dinners, she hates getting dressed up, and hates having to act ultra-polite and lady like and she hates dancing, but Drew is coming with his parents anyway so it won't be a total loss, she'll get to dance and hang out with him. that's the one part of the evening she's looking forward to. Zoey is going she doesn't have a date and doesn't want one.

The Speech is a polite way of giving and embarrassing insulting lecture to Indonesia. But the Speech itself as usual was beautiful. The food even though it was fish was delicious, Meanwhile she spent plenty of time with Drew, and Zoey, there was a storm going for Georgia where Charlie's grandparents happen to be, the Carolinas and Virginia had a Carrier group send out to sea, and now the class 4 hurricane is heading right for them, the FBI is in a standoff with Survivalists and shoot the negotiator, a teamsters from trucking companies are threatening to strike, and the lights in the White House keep flickering on and off. and Jed Bartlett tries to save everyone and Everything.

"You can't save everyone, but I do like watching you try." His Wife tells him. Monday. CJ gets stories about everything that happened the night before, and Liz divorce, and Drew Harper dating Lexie Bartlett. And whether or not that given Liz's history they were putting Lexie on the pill.

"I haven't asked Mrs. Bartlett that question, Mark. Do you really want me to ask the first Lady of the United states if she plans on putting her 15 year old daughter on Birth control?"

"Yes."

"Are you trying to get me shot by the Secret Service or possibly fired and blacklisted? Because Mrs. Bartlett is a doctor and will answer reasonably, President Bartlett is an educated and reasonable man when it comes to Sex, But he is also a father and like Most Fathers reason goes out the window the moment he hears the topic of sex and one of his daughter's names in the same the same sentence."

"I'd still like you to ask." Mark said.

"I know and because it's my job I will. I'd also like you to know that I'll be cursing your name for the rest of the day."

"Then I've done my job." He shot back. At the 5 O'clock News briefing. "The president and first lady will not be putting their daughter on birth control at this time I also have a brief statement from the youngest first daughter, Alexandra. I would never have sex with anyone while still in high School. In High school your body and mind are still going through too many changes you're not ready to make the kind of awesome decision sharing your body with someone is. When you share your Body with someone in that way you're a sharing little part of yourself, you're saying you love someone so much that physically making love with them is the only way you have of expressing that love. I will not share that part of myself any time some at my age I'm not mature enough or ready, thank you."

President Bartlett looked at his youngest daughter. "Did Sam write that statement?"

"No, that was all me, I wrote it. Sam looked it over, and so did Toby, Toby said it was too sentimental but liked the poetry of it.'

Time passes and the next week. The Bartlett Administration is ready to champion a banking bill that would give more savings to the average American than a tax cut, when political rivals of the Bartlett Administration attach a land use rider that would strip the length of Montana, Getting the idea from both President Bartlett's incessant talk of National parks, and Donna calling the Computer system Antiquated, Josh tells the President to establish Big Sky National Park using the Antiquities Act. Meanwhile CJ tries to keep the press from sniffing around The president scolding The Vice President at a Cabinet Meeting, while fending off the romantic interest of Danny Concanon, who is scarily perceptive and has been a white House reporter for seven years, and an Overworked Leo tries to make trouble for Sam Who wants to see his daughter romantically, and his daughter who doesn't understand how he couldn't make it work with her mother and blames him for the divorce.

Meanwhile while all this was happening Lexie is kept home from School because of a sore throat, temperature and swollen tonsils most likely caused by the common cold. She was used to is as she got tonsillitis several times a year, and Dr. Stowe and her pediatrician before her had recommended to Lydia that she get her tonsils removed but Lydia couldn't be bothered. Her Mother had checked her medical records thoroughly but had only been concerned with signs of abuse, major illness, injuries and surgeries, she didn't really pay close attention to common illnesses. Which she was regretting the moment Jess called her from her daughter's room, telling, her daughter was sick with a sore throat, and was having trouble speaking and swallowing, felt like she had a fever and wished to be left alone. Twenty minutes later she and her bag were in her daughters room glaring at her pajama clad daughter.

"Keep the thermometer under your tongue." Abbey ordered.

"It's just..." Lexie said the thermometer fell from her mother. Her Mother replaces it.

"Keep it there, I can always take it the old fashioned way, and I won't use a digital one I'll get a glass one I'll be in for three minutes." Mortified at the thought of getting her temperature taken **_there_** Lexie stays still for the seconds until it beeps. "101.1. You're running a temperature, Let me listen to your lungs….." She took her Stethoscope out and listened to her daughter's lungs. She takes out a tongue depressor. "Your lungs are clear, Let me look at your throat….." She does. "Tonsillitis, we need to go the doctor, and find out what caused this."

"Why are you freaking out, I'd get it a few times a year. I didn't even go to the doctor most of the time, when it happened. Lydia just wrote me a note…..Just let me sleep" She rasped.

"You're going to the doctor, take a hot shower, and put on some sweats. I'll have Rene make you some soft scrambled eggs."

She whispered in a grumble but did as she was told. She dressed in Dark Plain Dark Grey Sweat pants and Matching Zip Hoody, underneath in case she needed to shed her sweatshirt was a T-Shirt Proclaiming Please don't make me do stuff, and her Thundercloud Modern Converse since their easier to slip on and off. She's wearing the Notre Dame Socks her Dad gave her. And puts all her stuff, and a grey canvas bag to match her sweats, and grab, her a grey long pea coat. She goes in the dining room, Her Mom, and sister are there, but not her Father, which is not unusual. He eats with them less frequently then her Mom goes, but more frequently in the mornings, than at nights, and sometimes at night he has to work through dinner and some of the senior staff eats with them, or she and Zoey eat separately, Breakfast really is the best time to eat as a family. She eats her bland eggs, and drinks her juice, and then she bundles up, and the car takes them to the office of Dr. Hunnicutt. She closes her eyes on the way and closes her eyes and doesn't fall asleep, she thinks, she thinks of all the times she got sick with this, and Lydia would just examine her briefly and write her a note, or send her to Dr. S. How she didn't really care, then she wondered why Lydia took her in the first place, she probably had every intention of loving her, caring for, and then She didn't cooperate, She, Lexie was able to put on an act for almost anyone even Lydia, but it wasn't hard to see it was an act. Soon they were at the doctors, and Dr. Hunnicutt performed her exam, and confirmed it wasn't strep, it was most likely a Upper respiratory infection, or a cold. And confirmed the frequency of her tonsillitis and the need for her tonsils to come out once this infection is out. Truth was she was only half listening. The doctor's appointment ended she was brought back to the residence, her mom told her to undress and get back to bed. She was brought soup, and Elle, helped her catch up on her school work she was missing. And she slept, and had Matzah Ball soup, which was her favorite when she was sick, as one of the few places that actually delivered to her house in Philly was a Jewish Deli.

She got better in a few days, and returned to school, she had a check-up Scheduled and a Surgery also scheduled. Meanwhile things pushed on in the West Wing.


	12. First Holidays with family

**Chapter Twelve**

 **I don't own West Wing. Seriously If I did, It would have lasted longer than 7 Seasons, And there would be more than like 4 Republicans who weren't evil. and Bingo Bob wouldn't have happened the replacement Vice President would have been some one very different someone with a personality that it isn't better suited for a Certified Public Accountant in Colorado Springs.**

It was two weeks before thanksgiving and three weeks before Dorothy Loren Harris' trial was to begin. The Week of the 16th, On Friday 20th, Lexie was having her Tonsils removed. And she was terrified not of the surgery but of being put under and was not at all being cooperative, she only agreed to do it if her mother could scrub in. which wasn't easy but they managed to arrange.

In the West Wing, Supreme Court Justice Joseph Crouch was retiring, and they were looking for a replacement, their first choice looked good at first glance and great on paper, until they looked closer into their background, and found some ideological issues with the constitution, they obviously can't put him on the supreme court if he sees freedom the way he does, So they look at Judge Roberto Mendoza who's history is a lot harder to sell but is brilliant and shares most of their Ideology. Meanwhile Peter Lillienfield a headline seeking congressman on the House Government Oversight committee accuses 1 in 3 White House Staffers of doing drugs, Which a ridiculous figure but the White House can't just flat our deny. They have to do an investigation which Josh doesn't take seriously. Of course she should have because it's going to bite the entire white house in the butt later when he doesn't.

Friday comes, and Abbey is scrubbing in at Bethesda Naval Hospital with Lt. Commander Rebecca Brewster, and Erin Hunnicutt. She was quickly moved to recovery. And given her chocolate Vanilla Swirl Low fat Ice Cream. She spent a lot and did homework, and went home that afternoon. She recovered quickly. By that Monday she's more or less recovered. And begins to help make preparations for thanksgiving with her Mother, and sisters. Doug isn't coming this year Even though he's invited. None of them are that petty. Annie is devastated and so is Liz who is very, Very pregnant, and will most likely have her second child in February.

For the first time in Years, Alexandra Katherine Bartlett had a lot to be Thankful for, and people to share her holiday with and she wasn't going to waste it. President Bartlett is in the West Wing, and Josh and Sam are pardoning a Turkey since CJ is out sick. Their Thanksgiving dinner, consists of the Bartlett family, Leo, and Mallory, Delores Landingham, Millie Griffith, husband Dave, and their son, and their son Michael Josiah Griffith, or Mickey Who was the same age as Ellie and like Ellie studying to be a doctor. Although his specialty was going to be Pediatric Surgery at Johns Hopkins. He had a way with kids, always had. And in innovative way of looking at everything. He also advocated for his patients not their parents. And was Jed and Abbey's Godson.

The meal was delicious Lexie insisted on everyone saying what they were thankful for, it turns out quite a few of them said Lexie, while Lexes said her family. Liz said her children. Mallory said her family, Leo said his daughter, and Delores Landingham said her Sons and I felt bad for her. Everyone had something to be thankful for, and soon the stories of Thanksgiving past began, and by the end of dinner which had been stretched several hours everyone was full, satisfied and full of the spirit of the season. The family prepared in a few days, On Sunday they flew out. The Federal Prosecutor told us that they reached a plea agreement Dorothy Loren Harris pleads guilty to all of it, gets 25 years in Prison, instead life with the possibly of parole in 25 years, she has 25 years with the possibility of parole in 10 years, Kidnapping is a Class a Felony in New Hampshire, she's getting off light. But Lexie doesn't have testify, neither does Abbey, it's better this way Sir, it's over Quicker….." the family was there as the charges and the Plea deal was read, she had to adjudicate exactly what she did, but otherwise it was over quickly. And they were back, in the White house. Her Coffee table Book came out. The Standish Knowledge Bowl Team does not win the DC Area championship, and will not continue after December 11th.

Lexie had begun to shop, and in some cases make Christmas gifts when she met her family, School was wrapping up for the semester, Elle Jackson was helped her study for finals Which she was pretty sure she was going to ace. When finals was over she was hanging around the west Wing, and got to the Bookstore with her dad. In the West Wing. Toby uses the President's name to arrange a Military funeral for a Korean War Veteran who died on the Washington Mall of exposure wearing a Coat Toby gave to the good will, Josh and Toby do something stupid but Lexie doesn't know what no matter what she tries to find out, although she know that something is up with Leo. And it's not going to end well. And she sees CJ dancing around Danny Concanon. Josh is very sweet to Donna another two people who are dancing around each other. She got presents for the Senior Staff, not t-shirts. Coffee Mugs. She got CJ one that said. **I'm not saying I'm Wonder Woman But I'm just saying People have never seen me and wonder woman in the same room together.** She got Sam, a One with a Gandhi Quote, **be the Change you wish to see in the World** , Josh and Toby Mets and Yankees mugs respectively, and Donna a Packers mug. She got Mrs. Landingham a world's best Executive Secretary Mug. It was very large, and very nice.

Christmas Comes and She gives out the Presents she got for everyone. She got her Mom and Ellie T-shirts that said. **Hot enough to stop a Heart, Skilled restart it, and if that doesn't work put in a pacemaker.** She got her Dad a T-Shirt that said, **Real Men marry Doctors,** and which he liked even better than his Intellectual Badass Shirt. And Liz's said **I'm a Mom what's your Super Power,** Zoey. Who was going to be an incoming freshman at Georgetown said **it's in the Syllabus** T-Shirt. Which made her glad she got that over the I is in College T-Shirt. She called her friends and she called her boyfriend. New Year's Eve there's a ball and she gets to go with Drew. She was so happy.

School started up again for Lexie, and her sister moved into her door. India and Pakistan was having some trouble with Kashmir, and the President is Lord John Marbury an Old friend from London as an expert in the field. Josh is subpoenaed about his investigation into the drug use at the White use, Mandy pissed every one off when she wants to represent a liberal Republican except of course for Lexie who doesn't seem to grasp what the problem is no matter how many times they explain it her. Charlie wants to date a willing Zoey and asks her father, for if he has his blessing.

The White House Staff is in full crisis mode over India Pakistan especially since a panicky Pakistan has given its field commanders control of its nuclear arsenal Lord Marbury is around making everyone uncomfortable except Lexie who finds him a kick, her words, Leo's secrets will be coming out soon disclosed by his political rivals, the President isn't well, and collapses right before the State of the Union while forcing the first lady to disclose that he has MS not only to the Chief of Staff, but to her youngest daughter. After telling Leo, Abbey, then has to go tell a panicky, 15 year old the truth.

"Alexandra he's not dying…."

"But he's sick….." Cuddling, Spots for the first time in a long time.

"Seven years ago, he was diagnosed with a relapsing Remitting course of Multiple Sclerosis, the fever isn't the best thing for him, but he will get better." Abbey said convincingly although part of her didn't believe it.

"But he's okay, he's as healthy as he can be."

"He is, he's fine….."

"Okay…..'

She drew her dad a picture, Which he loved by the way, and she was happy. The next day, President Josiah Bartlett gave his State of the Union Address, and Lexie Bartlett watched it live and in person. She wasn't planning on going but she had to see for herself how her father was.

The following Week, Toby tries to save Public broadcasting from people who don't understand it's impact, Josh and Sam have trouble cooperating with the people trying to rail road Leo, the White House Staff debate the appropriate response to a controversial sex education Bill study which is partially Bartlett's fault, thanks to his going off about Maisy all those Months ago. There are fears a Murdered gay teens father are embarrassed he's gay, and they're not sure they want him around when they sign Hate Crime Bill legislation when in fact he's just pissed that this administration is not doing enough to ensure his son's rights as a gay man like his right to serve in the military and get married. It's Lexie that calms them down.

"You're Lowell Lydell's parents, it's pleased to meet you.'

"Lexie what are you doing here?"

"I'm paying My respects, CJ. You know My best friend is Gay, and before he moved in with his grandfather we pretended to be girlfriend and boyfriend so his Homophobic father didn't murder him."

Mr. Lydell nodded. "He's lucky to have a friend like you. The World is not always ready for People like my son it is."

"No, it's not, My father absolutely wants Gays to serve openly in the Military, and all the other rights deserve, but that isn't the world we live in yet, and the saying you need to pick your battles is absolutely true, if he tried to pass that through congress he would lose the support he needs to get anything done in the white house, and his ability to get reelected and then they could put someone in, who would try to push Gay rights back pre-stonewall Inn. Do you understand Mr. Lydell?"

He smiled sadly. "I Do, Miss Bartlett."

"I'm Very Sorry for your loss. I don't know if this helps, but I met a priest in Philadelphia Father John Patrick Francis Mulcahy who was a Korean War Chaplain, and he told me. That God doesn't make mistakes, and we're all made in God's perfect image, Which means your Son, his Homosexuality and all was made in God's image as well, he'll be in heaven waiting for you when you get there…"

"Thank you." Mrs. Lydell said. Afterward. CJ Looked at her.

"That had the potential to go tremendously wrong, I suppose you want me to thank you."

'No, I suspect you're going to tell my Mom, and she's going to punish me."

"Yes, you had no business doing what you did, just because it worked out, doesn't mean it will next time, and doesn't mean it won't bite us in the ass." She had to wear pink for weeks. The Press ate it up. They asked why the first daughter was once again clad in pink.

Over the course of a weekend, the President must decide whether to commute the sentence of murdering drug kingpin, meanwhile a hearing impaired political operator comes to talk to Josh about the funding of her candidate being cut off, and Lexie who must write a paper on the Three branches of the American Government and the checks and balances, gets her father to help her with her homework for once.

During a week in February, The HUD Secretary calls a Congressman a racist, the president asks her to apologize, CJ gets emergency root canal, Josh briefs and says some things she shouldn't, Roberto Mendoza says the president was wrong to tell Secretary O'Leary to Apologize, and Mendoza who doesn't drink because of liver condition is arrested for Drunk driving or Driving while Hispanic, meanwhile in Lexie's corner of the world, she has tests to take and people to know, and School is going very well with her tutors hell she's getting A+s in everything, except Gym which she is getting a B in. She hangs out with Drew and Tori most days, both she and Drew know they are just High school girlfriend and Boyfriend aren't going to last past graduation romantically, but plan to remain friends. They really are just friends who make out. It doesn't go further than that, and unlikely to. He knows she's not really ready for anything deeper than that, and he can respect that.


	13. Six Months

**Chapter Thirteen**

Lexie's dad, and sister were in LA, and Her Mom was here in the Washington with her. Jess was of course with her and her team. She couldn't leave because of school, not that she was Jealous she hated all that dressing up and stuff. It was bad enough she couldn't wear jeans, or even regular Khakis to school. They had to be dress pants, or a suit skirt, She was lucky she could wear converse, most of the kids wear something similar to what the people in the White House wore, professional attire, suits, Lexie wore that too, she just wore her Converse too. They were her trade mark, those and her many different colored flower necklaces. Mariana made them for her. She had about 40 of them, Mostly in Silver, all different colors. Matching her sneakers, and her outfits. She had a few gold ones. And earrings to match. Lydia had given her money like it was going out of style when she lived with her, not that she cared a lot of her Jewelry and sneakers were bought with Lydia's money they were the only things left that were. Everything else had been replaced. She didn't really care and Lydia owned her. Now that she thought about it, she didn't want them anymore. She had about 40 Converse that she bought since. She went to her Mom's Office she didn't have.

"Mom, I need to talk to you."

"Lexie what is it…I'm a little busy….."

"I need to replace all my Jewelry and Converse that I got from Lydia I know it's a lot, we're talking about hundred something shoes, and dozens of necklaces…..But I can't…" her lower lip trembled. They were easy replaced for exact replicas, the shoes given to charity, as were the necklaces. Abbey had been expecting this and had had by Mariana made a larger variety, and more expensive than the ones she originally bought the First lady was pleased. Meanwhile the President dealt with Zoey's detail, he tells the person hosting the fundraiser he's going to he would stick any bill to ban gays in the military in a drawer, but he can't say it out loud, and Josh looks forward to seeing Joey Lucas again. In Washington Leo tries to convince the Vice president to break the senate block on the ethanol tax credit.

Doug Westin was killed in a car accident on February 23rd, it wasn't sexy or scandalous like reporters were hoping when they heard he died. There was a lot of snow and black ice for the Week of February 23rd in New Hampshire and he just hit a patch of Black Ice, skidded and hit a tree, When Liz heard he died she went in labor. On February 25th, 1999, Jonathon Augustus Westin Otherwise known as Gus, was born at 6 pounds 11 ounces and 14 inches long. There was a memorial for Douglas Jonathon Westin a few days later. It was not a state funeral but a small family funeral. Lexie attended and was upset she couldn't bring herself to be sad for him. She mourned him, as she mourned the loss of all human life cut short, and she was sorry for her niece, and the pain her sister was in. But she couldn't bring herself to mourn him, she knew it was because she didn't know him, and the two times she actually met him, he wasn't the nicest to him, be she worried that, that said something about her, that, she wasn't as nice a person as she thought, and she couldn't talk about it with anyone because they were all focused on Liz, Annie and the baby. She worked herself up so bad, she scratched herself very deeply, they had let her nails grow and she might need stitches this time. She called for Jess.

"Jesus, Lexie, I knew it was a mistake to let your nails grow…..Luckily Ellie and Millie are already here, we can't go to the ER right now the press have a field day." Ellie was the one who ended up doing it, they didn't use stitches they used crazy glue like stuff derma bond, and bandages. She knew they would be back to watching her like a Hawk. She felt really bad she didn't mean for this happen. It just sort of happened. She doesn't want to hurt herself she really doesn't. She tells Ellie that.

"I did a psych rotation, I know part of you does want to hurt yourself….."

"I really don't…but it's like…it feels like I can't explain it….."

"Well, I suggest you figure it out, because until you do, I don't think you're going to stop." Her Mom had made her see Dr. Phelan every day after school for two weeks after, before tapering back off twice week. Then Her Mom and dad, and their staffs were fighting about child slavery, the chairman of the Federal Reserve and his replacement who used to be her Mom's boyfriend, meanwhile Charlie and Zoey fight, and Charlie shows up at her dorm room with flowers and gifts. In the meantime Lexie tries out for softball team and makes it.

Lexie has her first softball game and wins, her pitching is superb, and her mother a former softball pitcher is extremely proud.

The senate finally confirms Mendoza and Toby is feeling burned out, Everyone celebrates the confirmation, Mandy is obsessed with getting new Pandas for the DC Zoo from China, and Josh says Toby's the guy, but Toby's burned out, and Mandy says let's get Josh back, Zoey attends a frat party and afterward a friend who was there is busted with by Metro PD, CJ tries to Minimize the story despite the fact that she lied to reporters, Josh has a long discussion about reparations for the candidate slavery with for the Assistant attorney general for civil rights.

Rumors percolate about a Memo Mandy drafted while she was writing for the opposition, meanwhile they have a disaster day, about the effects of several quests the president put them on of dangling their feet in the water, Lexie is n Take your Daughter to work Day, Spends the day in the Oval Office, and around the West Wing. Since her mother isn't doing any surgeries anymore. She really would have preferred that. But Between the First Lady and the President, She decided on the President. And she's going the First Lady the next day since she has permission. And is required to write a paper on each day. Toby insists on helping her. The President names his appointments to the Federal election commission, and Lexie gets quite a paper to write, about her father.

Lexie is aware of the tension in the West Wing, She meets and immediately likes Toby's ex-wife Congressman Wyatt, and she likes her father's speech when he throws down the gauntlet and names the names he wants to name to the federal election commission, his opponents get a little nasty in the weeks following but there's nothing they weren't expecting.

Hell breaks loose when the married ambassador to Bulgaria has been having an affair with the daughter of that country's prime minister, and Sam's been photographed with a known Call girl about to graduate law school. CJ wonders if she's being marginalized by Leo for past Mistakes, and Josh is clashing with Joey Lucas, Meanwhile Lexie feels neglected as she her team is continuously winning and only Jess, her agents and the press are there.

Another Week passes and The President prepares for a Town Hall meeting with College Students, While the US Military prepares to find a downed US pilot in the Iraqi desert, CJ doesn't relish misleading the Press about rescue operations, meanwhile Toby tries to ignore updates from a distress orbiting space shutting that includes his brother, Josh tries to convince the Vice President to rethink his position on campaign finance reform, and Lexie is focuses on painting that is taking up most of her time. But goes to the Town Hall meeting, the President speaks, and upon exiting the town Hall meeting, Both Gina and Grace see something, they get the girls into the car. Grace is able to get all three shooters, afterward. Both Josh and the President are still hit. Lexie scratches herself up pretty bad in fear. She needs to be looked at.

Abbey comes and tells the doctor putting the president under, about his MS, she sees the doctor treating her daughter Lexie because there's no way Lexie didn't scratch the crap out of herself, during that mess. For several hours the person running the country is someone no one elected and that is troubling. But the only who seems to notice is Danny Concanon. Josh takes months to recover. And so does the President. Lexie is in therapy every day in the summer. She sees Tess Every day she's Interning during the Summer, She was set to Intern in Josh's Office, now she's Donna's right hand woman, because everyone else there, had something they already need to be doing. Lexie volunteering too, and doing extra credit classes. She does more sketches, much more sketches. She actually has enough sketches to do way more than four books. But that's all her parents will allow for now, and now that those four have been published she's is done for now. She had won her Softball Championship despite everything the first time in 12 years Standish won their Softball championship, she was proud of that. She aced all her classes even gym because of the championship she automatically aced gym. So she got straight A+s in everything even French thanks to Elle Jackson, who helped her manage it. She didn't know why she bothered taking French she was much better at Latin and Spanish, and Italian. But She guessed she wasn't terrible at since she managed with tutoring to get an A. The summer was almost over and she turned 16. Her Sweet 16 was one for the record books, they held it in the ball room and invited her entire school, and all kinds of important people. Her Mother said she didn't have a choice it was what was expected of her. She would wear a Blue Summer dress to bring out her eyes, but she could probably get away with matching Converse since it was literally her trade mark every magazine and newspaper in the world knew it was her trademark. So she did, she wore a Pretty Bright blue summer dress, a matching flower necklace from Mariana, matching stud earrings, and matching blue converse high-tops. Her hair as usual with a short pixie cut, with matching barrettes that Mariana had made. The More expensive Necklaces Mariana had made, had diamond in the middle, and expensive gems instead of costume Jewelry, and sterling silver. There were over Two Dozen in every color available. She looked beautiful and so different than the Young girl who had been picked up from Philadelphia a year and 4 months earlier. She was strong and confident, and while that was also true, she was confident in all things not just the things she had always been confident in, she had a strong family support system, and she was happy she couldn't honestly say that was true, a year and half ago, Daniel, Olivia, and Maisy were here as they came last year. Daniel was once again staying with Ainsley. Who honestly liked talking with Sam Seaborne the man kept picking fights with her like he did last year, He was a democrat, but last year they happily argued almost the entire party about almost political everything under the sun, while the kids hung out. He's kind of cute, and even though her father and Mother, and Grandfather were all Republicans but her Grandmother was a Democrat and they'd been happily cancelling out each other votes Since the Truman Administration. She didn't see an issue with marrying or being with someone of a differing political view. While she and Sam were arguing in front of everyone it was getting pretty heated the President was talking to Leo.

"We should hire her Leo."

"Of course Mister President." Leo said humoring the president.

"I'm Serious, Republicans are half this country, we should really hire more of them to work for the administration and she's a smart, compassionate, kind, creative young woman and the fact that she disagrees with me shouldn't matter all that much."

"No, Sir. Where should I put her?"

"She's a lawyer put her in the Counsel's office, I really like her Leo, I've talked to her several times. She's a sharp, and creative, and has a strong sense of duty, she won't turn you down."

"Yes, Sir. You know the fact that you only Hire republicans if they have a personal tie to you will look bad, first David Harper, now Ainsley Hayes….."

"I don't have a personal tie to Ainsley Hayes."

"Your daughter does."

A few days later. Ainsley Hayes is summoned to the White House unsure why, it's not like she has written anything truly horrible lately, or had any truly critical TV appearances. She goes to the Chief of Staff's office.

"Hello, Miss Hayes, I'm Leo McGarry. You know the President really likes you he's very impressed with you."

"I like him too sir, I never thought I'd say that about a Democratic President, but on a Personal Level Sir. I truly like him, he's a good man."

"He wants you Hire You."

"Hire Me for what?"

"Associate White House Counsel, our last Associate White House Counsel was Promoted to Deputy White House Counsel, when our Last White House Counsel Left, anyway the job is yours if you want…the President likes intelligent creative people who disagree with him Ainsley….."

"Really….."

"Haven't you ever wanted to work in the White House?"

"Since I was two."

"Then what's the problem…."

"I don't me suppose I have one sir….." This could work and Democrats or Republican Working at the White House looked fantastic on a resume. When the Republicans took back the White House she could always stay, or go into private practice and have her pick of law firms.

"Good…..Welcome to the White House."

In few days later, Ainsley Hayes starts work at the White House, Her Cousin's friend the President's daughter brings her a present for her new office, the Steam pipe distribution venue, She Brings her a Large Latte size Coffee Cup with the Words Life's a Beach on it and a Small desk toy with a tiny beach chair, a tiny set of sandals, a beach ball, beach umbrella, Sea shells, and a floating ring, all in a clear square plastic box filled with white sand, entitled day at the beach.

"Thank you."

"Your Welcome…..I wanted you to feel Welcome this my lead Agent Grace Cabot."

"Please to meet you, Miss Hayes."

"Ainsley's fine."

"Grace."

"Nice to meet you."

"I really should be Lexie back, she has things she should be doing and Miss Cameron her Nanny will wonder where we went off too."

"I see, well thank you for making me feel Welcome, Lexie."

"Of course I made you feel Welcome Ainsley your Daniel's favorite Cousin you made him feel like he had a big sister, you made him feel loved, and accepted. I'll always love you for that Ainsley and always feel like I owe you big time for that."

"You don't owe me anything for that, Lexie. Danny's my cousin I love him, and he deserves all the Love and support he gets, end of story."

"How is she?"

"Well, Granddaddy finally convinced him to join the football team. He can't really play most of the positions very well except Wide Receiver he's a fairly decent Wide Receiver because he's fast as anything and he can catch pretty much anything they throw at him."

"Years of Dodge ball had to come in handy at some point." Lexie said with a shrug Lexie knows it's more than that he's always been an excellent shape and he catches them because he's lithe, and quick, with lighting fast reflexes born of not only years of soccer but years of dodging bullies and abusive fathers, he can't play the other positions because he hasn't the bulk. And so does Ainsley.

"A Football Scholarship would get him into college a lot more easily than him playing Soccer. Do you know what Daniel wants to study?"

"He plays that pretty close to the vest the last time I knew for sure, he were 8. And he wanted to be Indiana Jones that might not have changed. Grace is right we should go, Good Luck Ainsley."

Sam is welcoming right away, because he already likes her, so are the others members of the senior Well, Josh isn't here yet. they do the posters and the opera on the second day there. And she feels welcomed.

"I See, the first daughter got to you first?" Sam said smiling.

"She loves giving people gifts and you never know if its to cheer you up, or to wind you up. When Josh got into it with Mary Marsh She got Josh a Hulk Mug…..it said You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." Sam said.

"12 weeks away from Mid-term elections Josh advises CJ from his sickbed, The President is obsessed with a man he beat years ago running for a local race in Manchester, Sam strongly encourages a law school friend to run and then has to withdraw his support when questions about racism surface, Toby is morose as he seeks to act against hate groups, The president appears at a reception for talk radio hosts and completely blows apart a conservative reactionary radio counselor, Charlie Behaves cool and distance toward Zoey until Lexie come at him.

"Charlie you need to knock it off."

"Knock what off."

"This cold shoulder shit you're doing to Zoey, it's hurting her and it's hurting you, you Love her I know you do. I'm pretty sure you two are meant to be together but you're pushing her away….."

"I almost got her killed, I got your father shot!"

"Not You, Psychotic bigoted racist assholes. Are you saying I got myself kidnapped 13 years ago?"

"No Of Course not?" He said confused. "That's crazy."

"It's the same thing, we cannot control the actions of others Charlie, as much as we'd like to sometimes. And Saying You got my dad shot in the same as saying I got myself kidnapped, it's the exact same thing. You didn't ask those Psychotic Racist assholes to fixate on you and Zoey any more than I asked Dorothy Loren Harris to fixate her crazy ass on me, it's not your fault." Meanwhile Lexie is invited by Drew to a Halloween Charity Costume Gala thrown at the Hay-Adams by Children first one of the charities Lexie supports, and her father is refusing to allow her to go. After taking it over with his wife, and everyone in the secret Service, including Ron. She is allowed to go. If she takes both the Secret Service, and Jess as a Chaperon.

"Thanks, Lexie.'

"Sure thing."


	14. Tis the Season

**Fourteenth Chapter**

 **I don't own the West Wing. First of all, I was in High School when the show started and second of all, If I did own it there would be some major differences. More Abbey, Zoey never would have gotten kidnapped, and Ainsley and Sam so would be married with a kid, as would Josh and Donna, and Leo wouldn't have died, but I guess even owner of TV Shows can control actors dying RIP John Spencer.**

Ainsley despite the fact that she's a republican is very likable to Lexie. So do most of the Senior Staff by November they have all bonded with her. Only Sam was clearly smitten. Not that he would do anything about it. November rolls Lionel Tribbey is finally acting like Ainsley's not the enemy just someone annoying he has to deal with every day Now she had been here for months and she thought she was fitting in, well not all the time obviously sometimes people still treated her like she was the enemy she has to deal with two staffer who mislaid an important Memo and lied to congress about it, but as the staffers worked for Toby and Sam they didn't work for them for long after she saved their butts and then sent her hate mail. CJ has to deal with an Army General who's going to criticize the administration when he retires she stops him by noticing and pointing out he's wearing medals he hasn't earned, Josh might need to sue is insurance company because they refuse to pay his hospital bill giving Sam idea to sue the people who shot him, making Toby very uneasy with the idea. The president has to do a radio address and literally hundreds of takes about leaf-peeping exasperating Donna, he finally gets the all clear to have sex after getting shot, but blows when he gets into a fight with his wife about public statues dedicated to women, but redeems himself when he changes the address to be about women and public statutes and does it live. Meanwhile Lexie is caught by Anna Ford from her night team masturbating, which prompts an embarrassing talk with her mother about her changing body, biological urges, waiting until she's older, discretion while masturbating, and a whole host of embarrassing topics. She was pretty sure her father knew because the next time he saw her he couldn't look at her in the eyes.

The next week The Senior Staff urge the president to do a Lame Duck Congress, and that will get the 12 Senators who were voted out a chance to vote to pass the treaty, CJ intentionally leaks the story to Danny. A Ukrainian Politician who us both Pro-US and drunk arrives and demands to speak to the US, Josh meets with him and his companion and deals with him, Ainsley goes with Sam to capitol Hill meetings and summarize a 22 page position she does so and changes the position of the paper, in doing so changes his mind when they argue about it. Toby meets with Lame-Duck Senator from Pennsylvania who refuses to go against the voters of his home state, Leo arranges for the president to meet with the foreign Politician, The President decides not to call the lame duck Session, Meanwhile Lexie was once again on the Knowledge Bowl team this year. And was facing a local Public High School, and won.

Many of the Senior Staff are on their way to Portland for an educational speech, Leo is monitoring a tense situation in the person gulf with an foreign oil tanker fires on US Helicopters sent to Investigate, Josh debates the merits of a Bill that would ban Same Sex marriage with a gay senator, on the plane Toby tries to work Sam's questionable speech on education while Charlie gives them an idea, and Ainsley is sweating off in her office. Meanwhile Lexie was getting involved in her computer animation software, and designing cartoon characters for everyone she knew. Even though she only had to do three people for class. She showed the ones of Jess Cameron, Drew and Ms. Truman her Computer teacher. The ones of her family, and the Senior Staff needed to go through CJ before she showed anybody.

As thanksgiving nears Lexie's father is handed a real political and logistical nightmare when a boatload of Persecuted Evangelical Christians show up off the Coast of California, seeking asylum, a Perplexed CJ has to pick which of two Turkeys to pardon for the next day's festivities with the other destined for someone's dinner table, She gets upset and president pardons one and drafts the other into military service, well buys them both, Toby wants to appoint Leo's controversial sister Josephine to a minor educational position knowing her stance on school prayer will get the subject brought up again and again, Elsewhere Toby, Josh and Sam make plans to watch football, while the president calls the butterball hotline, and Charlie searches for the best possible carving knife for the president unaware he's being given the president old's set, which was made for his family by Paul Revere. Meanwhile Lexie is bundle of raw nerves because of Thanksgiving is basically a Holiday based on eating. Until her dad gave a very long winded and very detailed explanation of the first thanksgiving at dinner.

The President prepares to address thousands of elementary students nationwide, as space probe descends on Mars, but a host of problems land at his feet, including a fire at Russian nuclear Missile silo, A f-15 fighter pilot who is missing, the Icelandic ambassador is upset at the president for missing the meeting so the president and his staff have to go see the Reykjavik Orchestra, Lexie goes with them and like her father enjoys the experience, she loves all forms of music after all. Meanwhile After promoting a Deputy Press Secretary internally CJ has to see Disappointed interviewees at the concert, Josh has to pick a new US Stamp, which is problematic because the one that's considered somehow promotes Puerto Rican Statehood, The Press somehow has a story the President doesn't like Green Beans, which is a problem in an Election year which has Lexie going off on another one of her 'things only politicians and the press care about', rants, Which makes CJ consider how she answered the press and CJ thinks the President should still go ahead with addressing the school children even though they lost the space probe signal.

Lexie notices Josh's erratic behavior it was kind of hard not to. She thought it was crazy her father wants to sign all his Christmas Cards personally, she doesn't get as many as he does and she can't sign all hers personally. After Him, and her Mom, she gets the most out mail out of all the Bartlett's. She also things the energy Secretary is a little crazy wanting to release Federal oil reserves but then it was December and it was cold, oil prices were high, what did she know? And she followed the story about the agitated tourist it was so sad, Nazis, ugh, but she was glad, the woman got her painting back. Now it's Christmas Eve, after all the parties, and she's with her parents and her sisters, and Niece, Gus has been put to bed, in the residence. We're all drinking hot apple Cider.

"So Lexie, I heard you won the DC area challenge this year." Her father said.

"Yes, but The Secret Service are disappointed our team hasn't won the DC Challenge in nine years, which is what made them think it was safe for me to join the team, now they have to come all kinds of plans for travel first Mid-Atlantic challenges, which is called the East coast challenges, leading up to if we're still in it the East Coast Championship in New York City in March, known as the Division Championship, Which if you win that is how you get to Nationals."

"Still that is something the Secret Service will have to consider."

"Yes."

"What about Softball?" Liz asked.

"I committed to this first, but there's still a chance I can do both." they moved on to other topics, soon everyone went to bed, and the next morning there's a presents of all kinds under the tree in the living room in the residence. Lexie wakes up her usual time, exercises in her exercise room, showers and dresses. You can tell she's not trying to impress anyone she's wearing Red Converse, Dark Wash Skinny Jeans with sparkles in them, a tight Red Long Sleeve Sweatshirt, that Says in Green Letters, Sometimes Naughty can be so Nice, and a red Santa hat. She took out her bag with her presents for her family members she sent her ones to the staff a few days ago. And the ones to her friends, she'd been a little more thoughtful this year than t-shirts, and coffee mugs. A local DC Jeweler had a website, and she ordered some Jewelry for her Mom, sisters and Niece online, to her dad she had a custom Picture frame made, that said. **Dad to the Rest of the World, you May be the President of the United States, but to me you're the World's best dad, Lexie.** And inside is a Photograph from her Birthday party this summer, where the two of them are talking animatedly together about something.

The New Year's Ball at the White House is one of those things she wishes she can get out of, but she really can't. With her family staying in the White House this year, it's something she has to do. Lexie's dress is silver, and at least Drew can go with her, she really likes him, and he understand she doesn't believe in sex until someone is physically mature enough to handle it. She told him her theory, that one shouldn't really have sex until they are at least 21, although a college graduate would be better, and she would never have sex unless she was in a committed monogamous relationship anyway. He understand she also told them if they're still together when she's that age, she wouldn't be adverse him being her first as long as they were safe, and discrete. They went together, they were of course a Hit, the press loved them, the President Daughter, and Son of the sole Republican on the President Cabinet, they were both a very attractive couple, young, and vibrant. He started to volunteer with her to spend more time with her, and he was often seen in the resident, they often just hung out.

The rest of the school break is peaceful, Lexie worries about her growing crush on Ainsley Hayes, and it's not going away like the crushes on CJ, Donna, Elle Jackson, and Lu Delgado. She's worried about her feelings and needs to talk to someone. But worries about who to talk to. A Priest is confidential but would judge her, Dr. Phelan is a good choice but is on vacation this week, Olivia is a good choice but like Maisy is in Philadelphia, and Daniel is in Charleston, Liz and her never got close, she thinks it's something to do with the age difference and her blaming her for 11 and half years of neglect and abuse, Zoey and her are the closest of course, but somehow she thinks Ellie would be more understanding. She knocks on Ellie's bedroom door. She and Ellie talk on the phone about once a week, and E-mail about once a day.

"Come in….." Ellie said. She enters. Max trailing loyally behind her.

"Lex, are you okay what's wrong?"

"Can we talk?"

"Sure, come sit on the bed, what's wrong."

"Can it be just between us?"

"Not if you're hurting yourself again, or putting yourself in danger, but anything else yes." Ellie said firmly.

"I'm not."

"Okay, what is it."

"I think I might be bisexual."

"What makes you think that?"

"I've had crushes on CJ, and Donna and a doctor at the clinic I used to go to in Philadelphia and one on Ainsley Hayes, and they usually just fade the one on Ainsley isn't though."

"Well, she's intelligent, passionate, stands up for what she believes in, attractive, creative, she ticks almost every box in what you're attracted too, except for the liberal part, and for a Republican she's is pretty liberal actually, but if you are Bisexual, it's nothing to be ashamed of, it's a natural thing, a natural point on the Kinsey scale."

"Kinsey scale?"

"Alfred Kinsey, did a lot research into Homosexuality, and came up with a scale 1 to 6, 1 is heterosexual and 6 is Homosexual…"

"So, I'd be a 3?"

"If you're Bisexual yes, You may not be you may be homosexual….."

"No, I'm attracted to Men too, mostly men, actually, I think I prefer men, but some women just turn my head."

"Then it may be easier to keep this to yourself, at least for now. You're not going to act on it High School. You're with Drew, in college you might have to tell CJ, and Mom and Dad, you may not…..you may want to talk to Dr. Phelan about it, but I wouldn't talk to your friends about it."

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Why did you come to me and not Zoey?" Ellie asked.

"Zoey's kind of, well she's not homophobic or anything, but she can be judgmental sometimes, and you're not and Liz and me never clicked I think she still blames herself for my kidnapping and keeps distancing herself from me as some kind of punishment, and Mom well, its hard to talk to your Mom about something like this."

"I get that, so how far as Drew gotten."

"We've made out, under clothes, over bra…"

"The Secret Service didn't stop him? I'm surprised he's not dead."

"We were in the living room, they were outside the room…"

"You're not going to go any further."

"He knows my feelings on the matter, and he agrees. I'm not having sex until I'm at least 21, he also knows how much I care about and hope we're still together because I want him to be my first."

"You said that."

"I did."

"That's a pretty powerful statement, Lexie."

"I'm not sure I love him, but I care about him almost as much as I care about Daniel, only I'm not attracted to Daniel in the least."

Another Week passed and the Leadership Breakfast, a Bi-partisan friendship breakfast is Nearing President Bartlett's staff vigorously debates the merits of introducing a Patient's bill of rights and a Minimum Wage Increase among the incendiary topics, While CJ Jousts with Ann Stark, the Senate Majority Leaders Chief of Staff on the Press conference agenda and Location, later Toby Locks horns with her on Minimum wage, and New Hampshire Maple Syrup, Leo gets josh to apologize to a powerful New Columnist he insulted, whom he then insults, and then Sam makes a fool of himself in front of, and Donna leaves her underwear in front of, Sam lobbies for the White House Press room to be moved which causes him to piss off the reporters when they find out about the poll he put in the field, Sam & Josh start a fire in the Mural room unaware the flue's been welded shut for 100 years. Meanwhile Lexie got a Huge research paper due in two weeks since Mrs. Donovan never gave detention that would mean she would have to supervise detention for trying to correct her teacher and arguing with her teacher about how she was teaching the subject wrong. The subject by the way was America's Entrance into Spanish-American War. The teacher was barely mentioning Yellow Journalism at all, or Americans interests in the Caribbean, or Spain's attitude toward its colonies. She also got a note home. that had to be signed by both her parents. She took it her Mother first. She read it and chuckled.

"You are so much like your father…..So you have to write an research paper?" Her mother asked.

"She said since so much was missing from her version of events, I had to write a detailed account of our country's entrance, participation and exit from the Spanish-American War."

"Wow, How many Words."

"She didn't say as long as it's detailed, and has at least 6 sources, with footnotes. And I only have two weeks."

Her father was less than amused, but signed the note. She would be very busy the next two weeks.


	15. 10 Months

**Fifteenth Chapter**

 **I don't own The West Wing. Also in My Alexandra Verse. 9-11 and the Global War on Terror did happen, MASH, and Strong Medicine are part of the Verse there will be other crossovers I haven't decided which yet.**

Leo tries to convince an unenthusiastic president about the merits of an expensive and errant missile system, while Jed ponders chiding hard-core environmentalists for the actions of Eco-terrorists, while he addresses their convention, Meanwhile Jed accepts the appointments of several ambassadors including his favorite Lord John Marbury, who returns as Great Britain's Ambassador to the US, CJ treads lightly when she goes to New York to dissuade a comedian Corey Sykes, who once uttered a will publicized but offensive joke in front of the presence from performing at the Will Rodgers Dinner, as for Lexie She's busy at school and volunteering at the Marian Anderson Community Center in Marshall Heights. It was a poorer neighborhood, but not the poorest, it had a sizeable middle class, and it was relatively safe, the Secret Service would never let her volunteer in Capital View, or Anacostia, when one of her fellow volunteers a bright Mixed race African American girl named Kayla Rosenberg, was acting erratically, the Marian Anderson Staff wanted her to take a drug test, which is their right because you sign a contract when you agree to volunteer there. When it came back clean they called her parents Dr. Samuel Rosenberg, and Lobbyist Kendra Johnson-Rosenberg. Who was admitted into Hospital for 72 hour Psych hold, Lexie was worried about her friend. She was later diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, since she's not a threat to herself or others she goes to a partial adolescent hospitalization program. Where she goes home each night five days a week, with three hours of school in the middle, and group therapy in the morning and afternoon.

The following week in Manchester Liz is asked out by the handsome single father in Mommy and Me class that she'd been flirting with for 6 months. Like her, his son is about a year old. His name is Hank Pierce and he is originally from Cleveland, his father was a surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, and his Mother was a Nurse, he's a software designer specifically for computer games, which gives him a lot of free time. Being checked out by the secret Service he is the youngest child of Dr. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce and Margaret Houlihan Pierce, his older siblings are Benjamin Franklin Pierce III born in 1955, and Margaret "Meg" Pierce Hunnicutt married to Pierce Hunnicutt born in 1958. After reading the threat assessment she calls him back and says yes, and they meet for coffee.

Down in Washington There's a kind of energy in the air, as the President makes his third state of the Union Address, written by Toby, While Josh anxiously and obsessively tracks public response by phone poll, a crisis crops up when five American drug agents are taken hostage by Columbian rebels, as Josh Spearheads Polling efforts he runs into Joey Lucas and their sexual chemistry is reunited, meanwhile Jed earns Abbey's ire as he dropped several of her passionate topics such as Violence against women, and Lexie continues to ponder her sexuality, as she shares a hotel room in Philadelphia with a cute bubbly geek named Amy Callahan for a Knowledge Bowl challenge against Whitmore Academy with her detail in the adjoining room. They won the Knowledge Bowl challenge and it was very exciting. She called Drew immediately and then her parents. Not mentioning her attraction to her roommate. They had some down time in Philadelphia and she got to see her old friends, Olivia and Maisy, and Father M. she wished she could have stopped by Mariana's shop but Tracy and Grace deemed it too dangerous. She didn't miss her old life living with Lydia, but she did miss her old freedoms. Being able to go anywhere and do anything, but she knew being able to go anywhere and do anything only came with having guardians who didn't care about anything you did, and she didn't want that, but she did wish that her parents weren't the Present and first lady, and her dad was still in the House and her Mother was still just a Surgeon or maybe her father never left Dartmouth. But she knew it was silly to wish for things because wishes didn't come true, and in mythology when they did come true nothing good ever came from wishing.

After his State of the Union address Jed greenlights a mission to rescue five Drug agents from Columbian Drug terrorists commandos, but there's some trouble, Toby is confronted by a Liberal senator who threatens to launch a third party run at president, a frustrated Josh tries to sample a poll which will gage reaction to the speech and hopefully provide support for a new Gun protection bill, while Donna keeps pushing him to ask out the pretty Joey Lucas, meanwhile CJ tries to convince Mark Gottfried, the host of a TV talk Show to allow the controversial Policeman Officer Jack Sloan on her TV program since the President invited him to the White House, and Abbey is still mad at Jed for dropping her issues from his speech, Meanwhile Lexie is preparing for her first Valentine's Day with a boyfriend.

Drew planned a perfect date, with the approval of her Secret Service Detail. A White House car picks him up, her and his detail, he takes her to a small but nice Italian restaurant, then they attended a production of YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, and then he took her home, and kissed her goodnight at the entrance to the residence. He of course gave her purple Lilacs which symbolize first love.

As the President comes back from a Tokyo Summit, the surgeon General says some controversial things about decriminalizing Marijuana, Which causes his shy middle daughter who is the woman's goddaughter to speak to the press and say her father would never fire the Surgeon General, when she is summoned from Johns Hopkins, He learns that his shy daughter has always felt like a family outcast and not enough for him. He promises to do better. Meanwhile Sam gives a visiting movie director a tongue lashing after he publically calls the President a coward after Charlie turned down his film for the president to see, and Toby tries to save Social Security but meets resistance when it would mean raising the retirement age. Meanwhile Lexie panics when she gains ten pounds especially when the press say some unkind things about the weight gain, causing her to exercises obsessively, and crash diets, she becomes anemic and blacks out in class. And the President to come down on the press through CJ.

Staffers most of whom have plans for the weekend are blindsided when elderly Senator Howard Stackhouse filibustered when a Child medical care bill includes no money for Autism, a Bill they thought was a done deal. Meanwhile Toby is puzzled when the Vice President Hoynes attacks the oil Industry for Price gouging, as he's normally a champion of the oil industry, and CJ fears she's cursed by the Egyptian cat goddess Bast because she broke a Bast statute on the President trip to Cairo. Sam is taken to school by a 19 year old Intern from the General Accounting Office, Josh tries to get work done so he can go to the Mets Spring training camp, Also through Donna's quick thinking and deductive skills they learn Howard Stackhouse has an Autistic grandson, and they decide to come to his aid and blow the print deadline. Meanwhile Lexie is on another Knowledge Bowl Challenge this time in Boston against Boston Science, on Friday and on Saturday they're up against Easton Prep. They win both. this year they're much better than they've been previous years mostly because Rodney Babcock, Thomas Levy, and Franklin Hicks graduated and Tess Granville was made Captain and the faculty advisor changed from the regular history teacher Mr. Graham who is a bit slow on the uptake and doesn't have any tactical planning experience to Mrs. Donovan who was an officer in an officer in the Army, before going into the Army reserves and becoming a teacher. She roomed with Amy Callahan again, Amy was intelligent, funny, Bubbly, and kind, she was the daughter of a Corcoran School of the Arts Professor and a Corporate Lawyer, She also like Maisy had a way of dropping innuendo into almost any conversation. And Lexie felt very attracted to the Blonde haired Green eyed beauty.

The Following Week in DC was the first official Week of Spring, of course it was still damn cold, and there was still snow on the ground. It was slow in DC that week, no Bills were up for voting, no senate hearings, the other side seemed somewhat less likely to start a fight, no committees Sam and Ainsley were doing their usual flirting and debating thing, that didn't mean there was no news, there was a state Dinner tonight with Prime Minister Charles Trenier of France, and his wife Sophie. Unfortunately Lexie has no knowledge bowl challenge to get her out of the State dinner. She goes and dances with Drew, and with Sam, and Josh, and with her Dad. And she is charming and demure, and she hates every minute of it. Although it was nice to use her French for once. As usual she escaped at 10. Drew Escaped with her. She put on some sweats, he had to stay in his tux because he had to leave with his parents. When she came out into the living room. There were agents watching very carefully. They cuddled and watched Some VHS tapes of old Loony Tunes Cartoons, She sometimes watched.

A new week, a new set of problems. After a terrorist is found at the border with explosive Jed ponders the impact of heightened security at Airports, while Toby becomes the 18th Person to know about the president's Multiple Sclerosis and only the second to challenge him on it. Meanwhile Josh and Donna can't agree on the exact date she started work or when they should celebrate their 'anniversary', Sam and Ainsley argue over the 14th amendment and the ERA and Staffers try to Punch up the President's Speech for the White House Correspondents Dinner, elsewhere Liz and Hank enjoy their first real date in a restaurant at night without kids, and real silverware and cloth table clothes, Drew and Lexie have another discussion about Sex. He doesn't think he can wait until they're 21. Lexie told him too bad because his parents waited until they were engaged to be married and she was waiting. He said he wasn't sure he could wait that long, but agreed to try because he really did love her.

Jed calls Oliver Babish the White House Counsel to ask if his not disclosing his MS constitutes a criminal Conspiracy, and Babish doesn't sugar coat his affirmative answer. Which would give his enemies enough ammo to destroy him. Meanwhile Toby orders CJ to smoke out the leak that Bartlett reversed his position on school vouchers, Sam feels queasy, when an Oil tanker leaks off the coast of Delaware and he might have had something to do with it, Josh clashes with a questioning Donna as the US prepares to lend money to prop up a failing Mexico economy, and Lexie is caught in a heavy make out session with Drew by Jed.

Another week has passed, Oliver Babish is grilling the entire Staff on their knowledge of the President's MS, Josh goes to Joey Lucas to put a secret Poll in the field, Sam is happy that the lowered Surplus means a case for the administrations revised tax cut, means he and Ainsley are getting close again unbeknownst to anyone else, Josh seeks more support for prosecution of tobacco companies, and Donna seems to be the only one concerned about a Chinese satellite falling toward the earth, Meanwhile Lexie beginning studying for finals, and getting ready for Knowledge Bowl Nationals.

With disastrous Polling data, they get ready to announce the president's condition but first they Oliver Babish questions first the First Lady, and then the youngest First daughter, since she may or may not know, and if she does know they had to disclose to her at some point. Mrs. Landingham tries to buy a new car with help from male staffers, Josh deals with two Democratic senators who have problems with the tobacco suit, there's trouble with Haiti.

"They told me Right before the State of Union after I first got here, My dad had the flu, and he was sick. My Mom thought I needed to know."

"Have they ever asked you to lie?"

"No, and I haven't, I just haven't told there's a difference. No one has come out and asked me if My father has a debilitating disease, and 95% of the time he's perfectly healthy, So what does it matter?"

"It might matter to the American people."

"Politicians and the press they spend too much time caring about shit that don't matter, real people care about things that affect them, and weather the president has some disease that doesn't affect him 95% of the time and doesn't affect him I really don't see them caring about, they care about health care, they care about schools, they care about jobs, they care about water coming out of the clean and hot…."

"Some might care….."

"Probably."

After being questioned Lexie went to the community center, took Max to the community center for the children to play with as she had done before.

Mrs. Landingham Dies in a car crash, sends Jed into an emotional Crisis just as he's about to disclose his MS to the country, and he tries to decide to seek reelection. Lexie mourns her Godmother, by stress baking cookies, staffers are dealing with congressional democrats party officials, and Network execs, They must also fashion two responses to the question Will be run again. A National Attack not seen since Pearl Harbor, and it happens in New York, and in DC. Delaying the president's announcement on Reelection and disclosure.

The President wastes no time making his intentions to run clear (And I'm going to win too), Not surprisingly that's the first question the press asks him after his MS disclosure before the questions about the war on terror, and Afghanistan but everyone knows his Condition will make reelection exceedingly difficult, adding to that Abbey's reaction to his decision to run again, the situations in Haiti, and Afghanistan, Which is driving Nancy McNally up a wall, and the press corps is giving CJ a particularly hard time meanwhile Lexie is starting her Junior year at Standish, and is starting to look at colleges.

Nobody's in a good mood when the new Political operative Bruno and his underlings Connie and Doug are Hired, Leo won't let Josh wave off the FDA on RU486, CJ is concerned because the Press senses a problem with the Bartlett marriage, at least there's news on the Afghanistan and Haiti fronts.

Meanwhile Lexie is in Manchester being tutored by Elle Jackson and she is not happy, She much rather be in DC attending Standish, with her friends, and participating in Knowledge Bowl, making out with her boyfriend and flirting with Amy Callahan. She making her displeasure known by wearing aggressively inappropriate T-Shirts. CJ is so glad the Press isn't around.


	16. We give Thanks

**xteenth Chapter**

 **I do not own, West Wing, Strong Medicine, M*A*S*H*, or Bones case you missed it Smithsonian has been replaced with Jeffersonian.**

 **In this Version of the AU World. In My Strong Medicine World Andy Campbell doesn't become Surgeon General until Santos is President, like I said it's an AU, Jessie is in college, and Lizzie is in high school. Milo doesn't die because he only died because the actor did. Les gets help but not soon enough, for a relationship with his ex-wife but he saves his relationship with her daughters, Dr. Kayla Thornton is married to Peter and has those three kids, She is Lou Thornton's distant cousin they have the same great-grandparents and barely know each other, Dr. Lu Delgado is married to Jonas Rey and had their daughter, Lana has her Masters in psych, Mark by the time of the Santos Administration is working for the Cybercrime division of the FBI, and Araya is 16 when Dylan west comes on the scene after Andy Campbell becomes Surgeon General in the Santos Administration.**

When a fearless Special Prosecutor begins investigating the Presidents Non-disclosure of his MS, and issues subpoenas to the White House staff, CJ stealthily drops hints to the press to have a different prosecutor brought in, they want someone more ruthless so they look innocent and the prosecutor looks vicious, Elsewhere a real forest fire rages in Wyoming and Bartlett agrees with Environmental experts that it should burn itself out, something that pisses off the Governor of Wyoming, The President is in a political bind on whether to appeal the estate tax (Death Tax) or not, a Wary Donna is set up on a Blind date with a charming Republican by Ainsley who might represent a conflict of interest as he's on the committee to investigate Bartlett. Meanwhile 17 year old Lexie Bartlett starts looking at colleges, and weighing her options to apply for next year. Meanwhile in New Hampshire Liz and Hank seeing each other as their schedules permit. And their kids, he has a son Logan two months older than her son Gus, almost 7 year old daughter Emerson. His Wife left his with an Infant and a Kindergartener and ran off to California with her Yoga instructor, Brian.

As Halloween and the state department Dinner looms Jed boldly vetoes the death tax but the staff must hustle when they learn the House has the votes to override. Meanwhile Important Democratic Congressman are holding out for compromising favors that incense Jed and Leo. Josh tries to talk Indiana Governor Jack Buckland from running against the president, and CJ has a difficult time with an aggressive but not overly bright TV Reporter Sherri Wexler, meanwhile Dorothy Loren Harris has killed herself in Prison and some tabloid reporters including Sherri Wexler have been hounding Lexie. When she's alone she cries and isn't sure how she feels about the woman she once thought of her mother being dead, but she has enough coping skills now that she doesn't fall back into old patterns and hurt herself or eat compulsively. She plays with Max, she runs, she draws, she writes, she talks to people she can trust, she volunteers. The White House Photographs photograph a lot of her time with Max. They love the reserved but playful pooch. She also calls Father M, to talk to him.

"Father M, I don't know how to feel, I mean I never actually loved her, and she lied to me for years but I don't hate her or anything…..I just can't…..I don't have it in me to hate another human being, I mean I hate State Dinners, and I absolutely Hate getting up at five am….."

"I think most people do my dear, I think the only person I've met who actually liked getting up at five am, was my friend Margaret."

"True but I can't stop thinking about her death, it's plaguing me father. I couldn't talk to our priest here about it, and I don't know the priest in Manchester well enough to talk to him, you're the only priest I know well enough to trust Father M."

"Why didn't you talk to Dr. Phelan?"

"This seemed more like a God talk."

"I see, well. Have you forgiven her for what she's done to you?"

"Not really."

"It's important you forgive her Alexandra, you need to let her go, not for her sake but for yours."

"I understand." And she did. She forgave the woman, and felt lighter.

Another week passes, and it's the second week of November. The President asks a reluctant Vice President to speak to an Anti-Gun rally in Texas after a shooting in Texas in a church, but it ends in a showdown. Donna has to speak to the Committee investigating the President's non-disclosure and she lies to her inquisitor about whether or not she kept a diary, who also happens to be the Republican she's seeing. Elsewhere Leo, debates an old friend and Air Force Officer General Alan Adamle on the future of the war Crimes Tribunal. CJ tells Toby a reporter has him quoted as saying something that puts the president in an unfavorable light, and Sam tries to make a congressman see common sense when he wants to eliminate the penny. Meanwhile Lexie discovers Red Bull. Which causes the press to wonder if she's on speed. And Abbey to take away her caffeine slowly and then dress her in pink. CJ offers the Press the truth. "Alexandra Bartlett is not on illegal substances but has an intolerance for Highly Caffeinated Energy Products and has been banned from ingesting such high levels of caffeine by the first lady in the future."

When an American Spy Submarine goes Quiet in Hostile North Korean Waters an Angry President receives advice from State Department veteran Albie Duncan, and must decide whether he should notify the enemy or attempt a secret rescue meanwhile his wife learns her past malpractice suits may be the Achilles' heel of the Non-disclosure investigation, as well as the fact that it was her intern that went rogue and kidnapped their child, In Other White House Action CJ is beyond the Moon happy about a Presidential hopeful getting the Question of Why You want to be President and absolutely and completely blowing his answer, Toby meets with the appropriations committee who wants to funnel money away from Avant Gard artists. Meanwhile Lexie is still wearing Pink since her Red Bull adventure, and at the community center and the other volunteers make Thanksgiving baskets for the upcoming holiday for needy families. They also talk about the upcoming Coat drive for across the city, and distributing the food they collected in the canned food drive.

It's days before thanksgiving Lexie is volunteering at a soup Kitchen, The President is obsessing about the best way to cook a gourmet turkey and where to spend thanksgiving going so far to call the Butterball hotline as an ordinary citizen from Fargo, CJ meets with two Native Americans who promise to create a dust up if they can't meet with a bigwig who can create better public health projects on their reservation. Josh pulls some political levers as he tries to get the extradition of a teenage boy who killed his teacher and fled to Italy. Toby tells Bartlett of an expensive way to improve his polling numbers, and Sam freaks when he learns of a new poverty index that will classify Millions of new poor people overnight. Which will reflect poorly on the president. Meanwhile Liz is bringing Hank and his kids to Thanksgiving dinner at Camp David.

"So Hank you're a computer programmer." The president asked.

"Yes, but I come from a family of doctors."

"Really." Her mother was interested. "Who are your parents?"

"Dr. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce the Cardio-Thoracic surgeon out of Cleveland Clinic, and Nurse Margaret Houlihan Pierce, My Brother is Benjamin Franklin Pierce III, known as Ben, he's a Neurosurgeon out of New York, pianist known as Benjamin Pierce, my sister Meg, Margaret Hunnicutt is an Orthopedic Surgeon out of UCLA, and her husband Pierce Hunnicutt is an Organ transplant Specialist…."

"How did you go into computers if all your parents and sibling were in medicine?" Ellie said.

"Well I graduated High School at 13, and I got the offer to go into college at 14, I went to MIT so I stayed with My Uncle Charles, Charles Emerson Winchester, he served with my parents in Korea. I graduated at 18, and got my masters at 20 and my PhD 24, I did my Post doc at Caltech, and then taught at NYU, where I met my wife she was a Law Professor we both went into the Private sector, and we had Emmy and then we had Logan, and a few months after we had Logan, she left with her yoga instructor to California, We haven't heard from her since."

Later that night, after dinner he had a talk with Hank. "You're Divorced."

"My Wife left me sir, I worked, I tried to work on our marriage for a long time, but it was one sided, she wasn't really interested in fixing our problems, she didn't cheat on me I know that, she's too much an honest a person to actually physically cheat, but she did have a connection with the Yoga instructor that was more then friendship for years….I'm not blind, What bothers me is that she left the kids. She wanted to leave me, She didn't love me anymore I'm a grown up our relationship wasn't working, it happens but Emmy and Logan didn't deserve to lose their mother, Mister President. She didn't have to leave the state, and cut off all contact, and if she didn't want custody, I was the stay at home dad she was the corporate attorney, of course I would have had primary custody, but she should have at least wanted weekends…..it isn't right."

"No, Son it isn't."

"And then there's the fact that she left me for a Yoga Instructor, and now and lives in San Francisco, and spends her time getting aging hippies, college potheads, and crossdressers out of legal tight spots, that isn't the Woman I married Mister President. She was the Most Blood Thirsty Legal eagle at NYU, but then that is the point sir, she wasn't the woman I married anymore, Evie wasn't Who I married anymore. Her parents were thrilled, they were never happy she sold out and went corporate, they part of the Merry Prankster crowd in the late 50s and early 60s, Mister President, She has a new daughter Andromeda, she sent the paperwork to give up complete custody of Emerson and Logan about 8 months ago."

"People Change, Son."

"I suppose so, Sir. Mister President a few days ago, I proposed to Liz, and she said yes."

"I know, I told her Mother, I don't supposed you're going to ask for her hand?"

"My Mother raised me better than that Mister President, She may have been a Nurse Sir, but she was an Army Nurse through World War II and Korea, and in Korea she was head Nurse of the 4077, she left the Army, a Lt. Colonel, when she became pregnant with my brother in 1955, She was head nurse at Walter Reed before moving to Cleveland Clinic with My father in 1957, and at the moment she is director of the entire Nursing Department at Cleveland Clinic if I did something so utterly sexist and backward as ask for the hand of a grown woman with the kids she'd kill me, and my sister would cut me up parts for her husband to us for in his transplants….."

Jed laughed. "You respect your mother very much don't you?"

"She rode herd on all of us, kept my father in line that was no easy task. Unlike his sister's family who were moderate republicans, My father was about as Liberal and paranoid as you can get, he was pretty subversive during the war...how they allowed him to serve is beyond me, he was actually tried for mutiny once, by one of his more uptight superiors of course he went over the deep end when My mother married her first husband."

"I know all this Son."

"My parents War records are very colorful, and the things that happened to them the 4077 are halfway between comedy and tragedy, bizarre things never seemed to stop happening to them."

The president chuckled "I know, do you have any political ambitions son."

"I like being a stay at home Dad, Mister President, if Liz wants to run for something, I'll smile and stand beside her supporting her all the way. We've also gotten Annie a wonderful therapist to deal with the grief of losing her father, the daughter of a war comrade of my father works less an hour away from Manchester, and she has no problem meeting her once a week, Jane Freedman, the Late Sidney Freedman was a pioneer in Psychiatry, and both his daughters Jane and Ellen are Psychiatrists. Jane settled in Boston, Liz really felt better about sending her to someone who was part of the vast network of either my family's friends or her mother's friends, but her mother doesn't know any psychiatrists."

"Problem with being a surgeon who never served, she knows a few from the hospitals she served in but none well enough to be considered trustworthy friends."

"Sidney was a good man, his daughters just as good, his signature phrase was Ladies and Gentleman take my advice pull down your pants and slide on the ice."

The President laughed. "Sounds like the type of person we need around here, unfortunately our enemies could make a lot of headway with a psychiatrist on the payroll in the white house."

"Politicians make too much of things that are truly unimportant, and so do the press. The American public doesn't care about half the stuff the press writes about."

"My Youngest daughter says the same thing." The President said.

"She's a smart young woman, but she's a little too well behaved and she's going to do something one day that's going to shock everyone."

"That's what I'm afraid of She severely overweight and was self-harming herself when we met her. Until Rosslyn, and since with Zoey I figure she's just going to date some boy I thoroughly don't approve of, or get caught at the wrong party, and Ellie I only have to worry about her getting Pissed at me and saying something to the press, or working with the someone my enemies don't like, but with Alexandra I truly fear she's going to seriously hurt herself one day."

"I fear Emerson is going to hurt herself to but not on purpose she has a tendency to rush head first into whatever she does, Mister President.

"Zoey does that." the president laughs. "Hank I know you didn't ask for my blessing but you have it."

Hank was nothing like Doug, he was kind, compassionate, intelligent, funny, warm, thoughtful, loyal, definitely more attractive, with his dark hair, blue eyes, and runner's physique. He also was a better match politically, Doug was the son of less than faithful loudmouth Manchester based Brewery Owner, and a mail order bride from the Netherlands, not that Lisa wasn't a lovely woman because Liz's mother-in-law was an amazingly sweet and darling woman, it was her Father-in-law that no one could stand, and of course her husband, but Lisa was a wonderful woman there wasn't a single negative thing anyone could thing to say about the woman, and Hank was the product of two Korean War Veterans and attended MIT, had a PhD.

A few days After Thanksgiving Father John Patrick Francis Mulcahy died of fatal and undetected brain aneurysm, Lexie insists on going to his funeral, she would go with Liz and Hank. Since the President and First lady were busy, her agents and Jess take her. She goes and pays also going along were Jess Cameron Tracy DiAngelo, and Grace Cabot, She pays her respects it's a beautifully done service all his MASH friends are there while there she visits Olivia and Maisy, meets Dr. Andy Campbell at the Rittenhouse Women's Health Clinic, says hello to Lu, Peter and Lana stops at Mariana's grandfather's shop, and goes back to the hotel, and then goes home. While Lexie is in Philadelphia, At the first lady's urging Josh meets with a powerful Women's caucus about the language in the UN treaty banning Prostitution, While the President ponders an outbreak of mad cow disease and how much the public should know, and the staff is stunned at CJs emotional outbreak over renewal of an Air Force base lease in a country known to abuse women, and World War II veterans come to protest a pending Pearl Harbor Exhibit at Jeffersonian and President Bartlett is Sued by a woman whose husband was killed because his seat belt trapped him in his car, and intends to make a fuss over a national Seat belt law. Meanwhile Father Mulcahy left her, his Tom Mix Pocket knife, she remembers the story behind it.

 _"Once, in the middle of the war, I was very disappointed I hadn't gotten a promotion, there was a patient that needed to be picked up from an aid station and halfway there he couldn't breathe, Radar and I radioed back and they were very upset that I was there, but we needed to do a tracheotomy on the patient, so I used my Tom Mix pocket knife to cut a hole in his neck, with Hawkeye instructing me, and used the plastic tube from my eye droppers, so he could breath, and we got him back to camp so even someone, a non-doctor like me can save a life, can make a difference, Lexis. Mohamad Ali said Service to others, is the rent we pay for the room we rent on this earth…."_


End file.
